Description

Poet and author Paul Laurence Dunbar was an "O.G." in more than one way -- not only did he sell his poems to passengers while operating an elevator, he was one of the first African American writers to celebrate Black speech and vernacular in his works.

To learn more about Ohio native Dunbar, read The Life and Works Of Paul Laurence Dunbar: Containing His Complete Poetical Works, His Best Short Stories, Numerous Anecdotes And A Complete Biography Of The Famous Poet, pre-order the upcoming 2022 release Paul Laurence Dunbar: Life and Times of a Caged Bird, watch the 2018 documentary Paul Laurence Dunbar: Beyond The Mask and the 2021 episode of the virtual series We, Too, Sing America about Dunbar on YouTube. Dunbar’s poetry also can be found in the public domain.

Additional sources:

• https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/paul-laurence-dunbar

• https://www.nps.gov/people/paul-laurence-dunbar.htm

• https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/collections/1/the-complete-poems-of-paul-laurence-dunbar/

• https://www.loa.org/writers/677-paul-laurence-dunbar?gclid=CjwKCAjwoduRBhA4EiwACL5RP64jCvQ0DIpEe7ucDmVTGZSXhkCGxa5u_8RAqFgwph77aW3NrlvzjxoCexwQAvD_BwE

• https://nypl.getarchive.net/media/paul-lawrence-dunbar-a66ea9

• https://ecommons.udayton.edu/dunbar/ (Dunbar Music Archive)

• https://guides.loc.gov/paul-laurence-dunbar/introduction (guide to Dunbar’s works in Library of Congress)

• https://blackmusicscholar.com/in-dahomey-a-musical-theater-analysis/