Paul Laurence Dunbar

Bio

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. In its entirety, Dunbar’s literary body is regarded as an impressive representation of Black life in the turn-of-the-century United States.

Reading Materials

Poems:

• Nature and Art by Paul Laurence Dunbar

• The Seedling by Paul Laurence Dunbar