Paul Laurence Dunbar
Mother Matilda Dunbar
Mother Matilda Dunbar
1872-1906
Dayton, Ohio
Dunbar was born free to ex-enslaved Africans, Matilda and Joshua Dunbar. He was a prolific poet, short story writer, novelist, writer of articles, dramatic sketches, newspaper editor, and wrote plays and lyrics for musical compositions.
Motivated by his parents storytelling and various European poets, he created poe
1872-1906
Dayton, Ohio
Dunbar was born free to ex-enslaved Africans, Matilda and Joshua Dunbar. He was a prolific poet, short story writer, novelist, writer of articles, dramatic sketches, newspaper editor, and wrote plays and lyrics for musical compositions.
Motivated by his parents storytelling and various European poets, he created poetry in northern English dialect about life, love, nature, people he knew, the injustices of slavery and on race relations in his day.
His highly skilled and graceful use of southern dialect poetry was very popular for its humble, yet proud wisdom and philosophy on human nature.
Beyond his literary achievements, Dunbar dispelled the myth that Africans in America were unable to be educated. He was also mentored and hailed by Frederick Douglas as the most promising poet of his day and the "Poet Laureate of the Negro race."
Mother Matilda Dunbar
Mother Matilda Dunbar
Mother Matilda Dunbar
Controversial and thought-provoking, he often praised African-Americans, rather than attack Europeans, in much of his work.
Dunbar was a forerunner to the Harlem Renaissance era in American Literature and he motivated writers like James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston to compose in the language of ordinary folk.
Controversial and thought-provoking, he often praised African-Americans, rather than attack Europeans, in much of his work.
Dunbar was a forerunner to the Harlem Renaissance era in American Literature and he motivated writers like James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston to compose in the language of ordinary folk.
Dunbar is recognized as the fore father and first free man of color to self-publish and read his works in public. Dunbar was also one of the first American poets to make a considerable living from his appearances in the US and England.
In the opinion of Oni Lasana, "Dunbar is to America what Shakespeare is to English literature and he is the GREAT GRANDFATHER of the spoken word movement...no doubt!"
Oni gives thanks to Bob Jones of The Coatesville Cultural Society (RIP) for educating and mentoring her on Dunbar's works.
Alice Ruth Dunbar
Mother Matilda Dunbar
Alice Ruth Dunbar
Dunbar married author, writer, poet and activist for woman rights, Alice Ruth Dunbar of New Orleans. They lived in Washington D.C. while he was employed at the Library of Congress. They had no children.
Maya Angelou, one of many writers and poet he influenced, titled her autobiography "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" from the opening li
Dunbar married author, writer, poet and activist for woman rights, Alice Ruth Dunbar of New Orleans. They lived in Washington D.C. while he was employed at the Library of Congress. They had no children.
Maya Angelou, one of many writers and poet he influenced, titled her autobiography "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" from the opening line of his most popular poem, Sympathy.
Sympathy is included in the finale of "Doin' Dunbar as 'Lias' Mother" program as a "rap along" with audience participation. It is also a featured poem taught to students in the Brother Dunbar Performance Workshop.
Dunbar gained international attention before his death from tuberculosis at the age of 33. Many schools and public buildings are named in his honor.
His portrait was the first African American to be featured on the US Postage stamp. Paul Laurence Dunbar's home stands as an historic state landmark and museum in Dayton, Ohio.
It's your turn to learn!
Recent Program
.KEEP A-PLUGGIN' AWAY - PT 1
Dunbar's self-motivational poem Keep A-Pluggin' Away is our theme. Meet the people in Paul's life who knew and loved him.
Love Of Dunbar Monthly
You are invited to our free MONTHLY meetup on zoom where we research, discuss and perform Dunbar's life, his southern and northern prose and short stories.
These literary gems hold themes of timeless love, nature, pathos and laughter.
Freestylin' Dunbar Weekly
Freestylin' Dunbar Weekly
Beginning January 16, 202 Join us for this FREE WEEKLY workshop on Zoom for educators to creatively teach, artists to perform and adventurers of literature to explore.
You'll learn new techniques on delivering, reading and presenting Dunbar's spoken words.
Based on the Dunbar workshop, A Poetic Approach To Storytelling on p. 289 of Literacy Development in The Storytelling Classroom published in Libraries Unlimited.
Find and bring a poem of your choice: PaulLaurenceDunbar.org
Doin' Dunbar Workshop & Performance
Interactive workshop focuses on the life of Paul L. Dunbar and his use of German, Irish, Standard and dialect English.
Photo: Featuring Timi Tanzania as Elias
with students of Virginia Tech University
CD of 20 Dunbar poems
Featuring Dunbar's most beloved southern dialect poems; In The Morning, When Dey 'Listed Colored Soldiers, The Party, When Malindy Sings, Angelina and more.
A Literary & History collectors item.
With a fellow Dunbarian
Oni with storytellers, Jean "Omuwuma" Moss, Sister Kwanzaa and Mitch "Grand Daddy" Capel, a fellow "Dunbarian" who is Dunbar's voice at his museum in Ohio.
Enjoying the National Association of Black Storytellers Conference & Festival, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 2016
Oni's Diary ~ Muse : considering something thoughtfully
1st Freestylin' Paul Laurence Dunbar Meetup
1st Free Stylin’ Dunbar Session 1 : January 16, 2025
Lifeline: Thursday : Love of Dunbar Collective familiar roots, Peader, from Ireland showed up at 7pm est time, 12:00 midnight in Carryduff...he relaxes in his bed.
Viveca, her beloved mother's caretaker in Texas gently smiled on. I was so pleased to see familiar faces from the monthly Love Of Dunbar, wanting more Dunbar.
A new energy popped in!
Melanie in Florida kept her registration commitment! Yeah!
10 registrants were missing, or forgot, or will pop in another Thursday. No worries, adventurous minds and happy faces were present...I kept a pluggin' away.
So what happened? What did YOU miss?
Melanie, a retired journalist loves Dunbar and is researching and developing a children’s theatrical production of her favorite poets' prose, Dunbar being one of them.
Freestylin' Dunbar is not about me, Oni...I've had the pleasure to perform and teach his poetry for 31 years and this is a way of giving back and keeping my brain cells active in memory. I take great pleasure to share with those who feel it too, and desire to understand the work.
Oh my, oh my...was I so happy to show off my favorite "Dunbarians!" Viveca sang Keep A Pluggin' Away and Peadar recited Circumstances Alter Cases to Melanie's delight of poems she hadn't heard before.
Melanie’s stationary smile continued as we gave a brief tour of our resource page; www.PaulLaurenceDunbar.org created by Adam Alonzo of Dayton, Ohio...Dunbar's hometown.
Things can get personal in Freestylin' - how else do we humans bond? I was intrigued as Melanie who appeared to be of Caucasian persuasion;-) made her love of Dunbar as interesting as her joyful presence. So in friendly curiosity I asked Melanie of her heritage which she proudly exclaimed “I’m Black!”
Right on sis! Shut up Oni!
Getting to know one another is important to reach hearts, minds and souls, beyond Dunbar. Diggin' deeper into Melanie's heritage it was revealed she indeed harbors Native & European roots as family members in her past have passed for Caucasians. With the terrible shadows of slavery always lingering in American our-stories, and in Dunbar's plantation prose, shoot, Melanie and I could be cousins.
On the surface, our love of literature and a shared history, race matters. It's no harm to accept the reality of the heart, where one must proceed with care with those who show interest in Dunbar. Is it only entertainment, without interest, knowledge or self-reflection on the history of the works? I hope not.
In Freestylin' Dunbar’s our connections to Dunbar's poetry is not only intellectual, but also a journey into our personal psyche, our creative flow, as we discover and uncover him, for the genius he was, who we are and where we all come from.
Dunbar is Sankofa time in a Octavia Butler vibe.
Getting to know one another in connection with Dunbar's work is rooted in respect, understanding, and appreciation of his/our heritage, then and now, and not merely for microscopic curiosity. Dunbar is a literary humanitarian in that all people can clearly understand where he was coming from. Everyone.
Freestylin’ conversations with Melanie strolled us into an imaginary chapter on Dunbar’s poetry. Melanie turned the page as she described her work in progress, Poems To Plays, how clever is that? When Dey ‘Listed Colored Soldier’s and The Rivals, are the seeds in the visionary garden of Melanie’s creative mind, soon to bloom into a children’s theater production. We can't wait to collaborate or be amazed as her audience one day!
January 16, 2025, Thursday was a small but mighty gathering for the debut of Freestylin’ Dunbar. I'm looking forward to meet, see, hear and muse with future brilliant surprises of folks who love Dunbar's works and will show up and show out in the Zoom square for the Love of Dunbar - in the weeks to come!
Hope it will be YOU!
Give thanks: Peader, Viveca & Melanie for showing up in the zoom village square because in the words of Nikki Giovanni,
"Dunbar is community!"
Welcome to the neighborhood, where its all good.
Oni *!*
© 2025 Oni Lasana Productions
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