Summary
The son of former slaves, poet and author Paul Laurence Dunbar was the lone black student at Dayton Central High School. His works, including Oak and Ivy, Majors and Minors, and Lyrics of Lowly Life, would be an inspiration for authors for years to come. His most cheerful lines soar with the hope that the United States might someday be a place where everyone of every race could live happily and well; his more somber lines show that he knew the road would be long.
This biography explores the life of an influential writer with black-and-white photographs, a bibliography, a list of selected books written by Dunbar, and a timeline of major events in Dunbar's life.
About the Author(s)
Tony Gentry holds an honors degree in history and literature from Harvard College. Formerly an award-winning news and feature editor at WWL Newsradio in New Orleans, he now lives and works in New York City. His poetry and short stories have been published in several literary magazines and journals, including Downtown and Turnstile. He has recently completed his first novel, Louisiana Live Oak.