Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio. His parents, Matilda and Joshua, and his brothers were born into slavery. It was Paul Laurence Dunbar's mother, Matilda, who encouraged her son to pursue education. She had a strong passion for poetry and the written word. Despite the respiratory challenges he faced much of his life, Paul Laurence Dunbar went on to graduate from high school at a time when mainly only the "privileged" and members of the "upper echelon" graduated from high school. One of his classmates was Orville Wright, one of the Wright Brothers who took aviation to heights long thought impossible.

When he was only 17 years old, Paul Laurence Dunbar started his own newspaper -- The Dayton Tattler. The newspaper was printed by Paul's friend and classmate, Orville Wright. Paul Laurence Dunbar uses dialect in many of his poetry. His work speaks to the human condition and is timeless. This is a reason Paul is considered by many around the globe to be the first African American poet to gain international exposure and respect as an artist. Yet, there were challenges Paul faced in the late 1800s other talented writers were not met with.

Paul Laurence Dunbar and Mark Twain had the same publicist. However, Paul did not receive the same publicity that Mark Twain did. This did not stop his talent from breaking through. Frederick Douglass often mentioned of Paul Laurence Dunbar's writings when he delivered speeches around America. Paul lived to be 33 years old. He died in 1906. He was a poet, essayist, short story writer and novelist. After his death another renowned poet, Langston Hughes (Hughes was born 4 years prior to Dunbar's death) came to know and respect his successor's work. While traveling, Hughes often stopped in and visited Paul's mother, Matilda, when he was passing through Dayton, Ohio. Paul's work touched and continues to touch thousands of people around the globe. Today students and readers, poetry lovers gain strength, insight and courage from Paul's moving writings.

The Official Paul Laurence Dunbar House (the house Paul lived and wrote in) is located at: 219 Paul Laurence Dunbar Street, Dayton, Ohio. The website for the House is: http://www.ohiohistory.org/places/dunbar. The House offers tours and helps readers to interpret and understand Paul's amazing work. In 1976, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in Paul Laurence Dunbar's honor. NOTE: Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in my hometown of Dayton, Ohio. I visited his home four years ago. It was a moving experience. I highly recommend visiting the Official Paul Laurence Dunbar House in Dayton, Ohio. It is a treasure! I feel tremendously blessed to have been born and raised within blocks of where the great writer Paul Laurence Dunbar was!

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