If you’re looking for a poetic school worth studying, try the Harlem Renaissance.
What Is The Harlem Renaissance?
In 1910, an African-American church group bought up a lot of property in a New York City suburb and many African-Americans started moving in. A large number of African-Americans from the south moved north to join them. Out of that movement, a voice for civil rights grew that included African-Americans entering into politics, using literature to champion their cause, and some great musicians gave the movement new sounds as well.
One of the early African-American influences of this generation was Paul Lawrence Dunbar, who had received some acclaim before the turn of the century. Other black writers came into prominence during this time as well, including some renown poets. The Harlem Renaissance received a huge boost in 1924 and 1925 when several prominent African-American writers started a new literary journal that published some great fiction, poetry, and essays of the writers making their moves during that time. In 1926, Fire!, another literary magazine, kicked off and began publishing some of the best black writers of the Harlem Renaissance movement. Poets such as Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and Wallace Thurman were among those.
Who Were The Harlem Renaissance Poets?
Among the most famous of the Harlem Renaissance poets was Langston Hughes. He is perhaps still the best known among them to this day. Some of Langston Hughes’ titles include:
- I, Too, Sing America
- Dream Deferred
- April Rain Song
- Democracy
- Let America Be America Again
- Cultural Exchange
Other voices of the Harlem Renaissance include Countee Cullen, Jessie Fausset, Claude McKay, and Arna Bontemps.
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