The Conjure Woman is a collection of short stories by Charles W. Chesnutt, an African-American fiction writer, essayist, and activist. First published in 1899, The Conjure Woman is considered a seminal work of African-American literature. It is composed of seven short stories set in Patesville, North Carolina. A film adaptation, The Conjure Woman, was made by Oscar Micheaux, each reflecting the difficult realia of the life of black women at the end of the 19th century.