The year is 1776. America is in a bloody battle to end British rule and Phoebe Fraunces is fighting for her own independence. She faces unspeakable challenges as a free woman of color, but finds the courage to make her own way. This play is inspired by the true story of a remarkable woman who played a crucial role in our nation's history. It has exposed audiences Off-Broadway and across the nation to a timeless story about the consequences of love and the true value of freedom. Playwright Dara Harper also wrote "Passing" and penned two novels; "Magic In Moon Time" and "Grits & Grace." EXCERPT: JONATHAN: Phoebe, it's all been decided. Mr. Fraunces promised that you would be my wife. PHOEBE: I am not a possession JONATHAN: There is little difference between a woman and a possession. PHOEBE: I belong to God and God alone. JONATHAN: You father told me that you were strong willed, but this is far more than I expected. When we are married, I will not allow you to speak to me in this manner. PHOEBE: The man I love listens to me. He has a gentle heart and has no concern for my lineage. And he will give me a life of happiness that you never could. JONATHAN: So you will defy your father and marry him? PHOEBE: I must live my own life JONATHAN: You are quite mad... Phoebe, there are many women who wish to wed me and this is your chance.

"Passing" is a one-woman play that has inspired audiences across the country to challenge traditional views about race in America. Based on the true story of the playwright's great-grandmother, it takes place in the 1940's, its timeless message of courage and love still resonate today. Minerva Roulhac was born at the turn of the century in the segregated south. She was orphaned as a child. Despite her Caucasian appearance, she was adopted by a former slave. She stayed in Marianna, Florida's black community while her brother, Jordon ran away from home and started a new life, "passing for white." Jordon's decision caused a painful divide between him and Minerva. After overcoming life-threatening obstacles, she found love with Robert Roulhac. Together, they raised eight college-educated children and stood against prejudice. Minerva lived to be nearly 100 years old and in this play, she imparts the wisdom that helped her survive everything from Jim Crow to the Great Depression. EXCERPT: I roomed with Emma Mae Thompson. She had silky auburn hair and gray eyes with little touches of blue. She dressed in the finest fashions and had a figure that the fellas went crazy for. Back then, I was mostly skin and bones. Chile, I didn't get these hips 'til after I had my babies. Her father owned one of the biggest insurance companies in Memphis. They were quite wealthy by colored folk's standards. When I introduced myself to Emma Mae, she took me in with those bright eyes of hers and said, "You could pass if you wanted to. There's no hope for me with these big ole lips, but you could pass." I made it clear that I wasn't interested in passing and that I considered myself a colored woman through and through. "Look at us, Minerva. Do you know that we can have any colored man we set our sights to? They all want to marry a pretty yellow woman with good hair. When I was in Europe, they thought I was white For God's sake, there are Eye-talians darker than you " I didn't even like looking in the mirror sometimes because it made me aware of what others saw. All those times I went to town and people thought that Mama Aggie was my maid... and the times white people stared at me while I sat in the colored section... and how my own people treated me better because I looked white... I tried not to think about the pain. But whenever it got to me, Mama Aggie would say, "There's nothing wrong with the way God made you."

EXCERPT: Years ago, when Black Friday wiped out the world around her and faces of every shade lined up at soup kitchens, Lucille feasted on catfish, roast beef and ham too In her line of work, her customers just couldn't afford to make do without her. She demanded full price and they paid without protest. No one was better than Lucille and everybody knew it, just as sure as they knew the lyrics to Lady Day's, "God Bless The Child." Lucille was thankful for fornication because it kept her in business. She didn't mind profiting from the desires of others, but expressing her own passion had always been like swimming against the current. Lucille had never felt that glow inside. She recognized it in other women who smiled with their whole bodies and blushed at the mention of their lover's name. But Lucille knew that some women went their whole lives without any glow at all and she accepted her fate as one of them. BOOK DESCRIPTION: At the age of seventeen, Lucille Justice marries a man who she has only known for six weeks. She is so anxious to flee her miserable family life and the Jim Crow south that love isn't even a consideration before she says, "I do." Her husband brings her to Detroit, a hopeful place where skin color doesn't dictate one's destiny. At least that's what Lucille believes when she patronizes integrated establishments. But she is disheartened to discover that life above the Mason-Dixon line is fraught with racial tension. Lucille's dark skin also causes her to experience prejudice within her race. Twenty years later, Lucille is alone in the cold city overflowing with people. Her husband is gone and she lives in the slums of Black Bottom. Lucille's official title is "midwife," but she rarely delivers babies anymore. Expectant mothers come to her for abortions because no woman has ever lost her life in Lucille's hands. Folks don't mind her soaking up their sins, but they don't want her around when it's time to sing the Lord's praises. Lucille meets Ludka Nowicki, a Polish immigrant who works in the world's oldest profession and Norma Jo Johnson, a drifter who recklessly challenges racial and gender norms. In "The Justice Women," the lives of the three women intertwine. On the eve of the 1943 race riots, a remarkable event brings Lucille closer to love and redemption.

The follow-up novel from Off-Broadway playwright and award-winning filmmaker, Dara Harper is set in the author's hometown, Detroit, Michigan. This coming of age story follows 15-year-old Natalie Tillman's journey from Thomasville, Georgia to the Motor City in 1959. She and her parents move into a crowded west side flat with six other family members. Natalie struggles to adjust to life in the north, busy streets, integrated schools, beautiful cars, flirtatious men and freezing weather. The house overflows with food, laughter and music. But there's also abuse, alcoholism and painful secrets. When the unthinkable happens, Natalie is forced into adulthood. Her tale reveals the consequences of honesty and the burden of heroism.

Off-Broadway playwright and award-winning filmmaker, Dara Harper invites readers to Angelville, Florida, a fictitious city inspired by her childhood summers spent in the south. "Magic In Moon Time" is a powerful story of passion, faith, redemption and forgiveness. This novel is about a woman's self-discovery and the heartache and joy that follow. The year is 1929. The locals all take notice when Justine Phillips arrives in town, a beautiful woman with a shameful secret. She finds love but her marriage is soured by infertility. After nine years of trying to conceive, she pays a visit to a witch doctor who her mother-in-law swears is the devil's disciple. Now, she must make a life changing decision.