KRLemmons African American Authors, African American Poetry, African American Poets, African American Short Stories

365 Black Books Henry Dumas Thursday

Heavenly belated birthday wishes Henry Dumas! Born July 20, 1934, Henry Dumas was an African American writer and poet. He was called “an absolute genius” by Toni Morrison, who as a commissioning editor at Random House published posthumous collections of his poetry and of his short stories, in 1974. He died in 1968. Some of his notable works:

Some of Henry Dumas’ poetry can be read here:

KRLemmons African American academic work, African American Authors, African American Literature, African American Nonfiction, African American Plays, African American Playwrights, African American Poetry, African American Poets

365 Black Books Thulani Davis Wednesday

Belated happy birthday Thulani Davis! Born July 19, is an African American playwright, journalist, librettist, novelist, poet, and screenwriter. She is a graduate of Barnard College and attended graduate school at both the University of Pennsylvania and Columbia University. Here are some of her notable works:

KRLemmons African American Authors, African American Poetry, African American Poets, African American Short Stories

365 Black Books Alice Dunbar Nelson Tuesday

Heavenly belated birthday wishes Alice Dunbar Nelson! Born July 19, 1875, Alice Dunbar Nelson was an African American poet, journalist, and political activist. Among the first generation of African Americans born free in the Southern United States after the end of the American Civil War, she was one of the prominent African Americans involved in the artistic flourishing of the Harlem Renaissance. She died in 1935. Here are some of her notable works:

KRLemmons African American anthology, African American Authors, African American Poetry, African American Poets

365 Black Books Mari Evans Saturday

Heavenly belated birthday wishes Mari Evans! Born July 16, 1923 (some sources say 1919), Mari Evans was an African-American poet, writer, and dramatist associated with the Black Arts Movement. Evans received grants and awards including a lifetime achievement award from the Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. Her poetry is known for its lyrical simplicity and the directness of its themes. She died in 2017. Here are a few of her notable works:

Read some of her poems here:

KRLemmons African American Artists, African American Authors, African American autobiography, African American children's literature, African American Illustrators, African American Picture Books, African American Poetry, African American Poets

365 Black Books Ashley Bryan Monday

Heavenly birthday wishes Ashley Bryan! Born July 13, 1923, Ashley Bryan was a phenomenal award-winning poet and artist. He often wrote and portrayed the African American experience. He died in 2022. Here are just a few of his beautiful works:

KRLemmons African American Authors, African American autobiography, African American Nonfiction, African American Poetry, African American Poets

365 Black Books June Jordan Thursday

Heavenly birthday wishes June Jordan! Born July 9, 1936, June Millicent Jordan was an American poet, essayist, teacher, and activist. In her writing she explored issues of gender, race, immigration, and representation. A prolific writer, June Jordan died in 2002. Here are just a few of her works:

Read some of her poems here:

KRLemmons African American adult fiction, African American Authors, African American Essays, African American Historical Fiction, African American Nonfiction, African American Poetry, African American Poets

365 Black Books Margaret Walker Tuesday

Heavenly birthday wishes Margaret Walker! Born July 7, 1915, Margaret Walker was an African American poet and author She was part of the African-American literary movement in Chicago, known as the Chicago Black Renaissance. She is known for her book, Jubilee and her poem, For My People. She died in 1998. Here are a few of her notable works:

You can read some of her poems here:

KRLemmons African American autobiography, African American Editors, African American Poetry, African American Poets, African American publishers

365 Black Books Naomi Long Madgett Sunday

Heavenly birthday wishes Naomi Long Madgett! Born July 5, 1923, Naomi Long Madgett was an African American poet, educator, and publisher/editor. She was Poet Laureate of the City of Detroit since 2001 and recipient of the 2012 Kresge Eminent Artist Award, is the author of eleven books of poetry and two textbooks and editor of two anthologies. Her poems appear in numerous journals and more than 180 anthologies both here and abroad. Several have been set to music and publicly performed. Her career as a published poet spans more than sixty years. In 1980 Lotus Press, Inc. was recognized as a 501(C)(3) organization specializing in the publication of books of poetry of high literary quality. Naomi continued to serve as publisher/ editor until 2015 when Lotus Press merged with Broadside Press, becoming what is now Broadside Lotus Press. She died in 2020. Here are a few of her notable works:

KRLemmons African American Authors, African American Poetry, African American Poets

365 Black Books Paul Laurence Dunbar Tuesday

Heavenly belated birthday wishes Paul Laurence Dunbar! Born June 27, 1872, Paul Laurence Dunbar was an African American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American Civil War, Dunbar began writing stories and verse when he was a child. He died in 1906.

Read some of his poems here: