Paul Laurence Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872, to two formerly enslaved people from Kentucky. He became one of the first influential Black poets in American literature and was internationally acclaimed for his dialectic verse in collections such as Majors and Minors (1895) and Lyrics of Lowly Life (1896). But the dialectic poems constitute only a small portion of Dunbar’s canon, which is replete with novels, short stories, essays, and many poems in standard English. In its entirety, Dunbar’s literary body is regarded as an impressive representation of Black life in turn-of-the-century America.

Featuring stories and poems by Juba Addison, Peadar Murphy, Bettye Haskins, Marilyn McPhie, Josie Bailey, Judy Clapper, Nzinga El Asele, Alan Kaufman, Bowen Lee, Marin Magat, Jody Fitterer, Gail Mello, and Ralph Moon. The Creative Director and Emcee is Oni Lasana.

This is a free virtual event, please register for the zoom link.

Registration: tinyurl.com/VoicesofDunbar