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
My Dunbar Svengali - gone but never forgotten.
11/2019
Performing Oni Lasana Doin' Dunbar as 'Lias' Mother, is one of my greatest public pleasures. My signature program is a traveling one woman play featuring the poetry of Paul Laurence Dunbar. (1872-1906) of Dayton, Oh.
Interactive and musical, it is set during the Civil War and also another play I produce is ALWAYS FREE, A Juneteenth Celebration set after the Civil War.
Always Free! is where the 'Lias' Mother character reminisces of life on a plantation in South Carolina and her new founded freedom, culminating in the celebratory poem, The Party.
Dunbar's spoken word poetry was my first leap into the literary world of professional storytelling. Since 1992, I have stepped out on faith and onto stages, back yards, festivals, conferences and universities with over 40 (and counting), Dunbar poems in my head.
Bringing life to Dunbar's southern dialect poetry and his northern prose, has fired my passion as an arranger of over a dozen poems to music. Dunbar has also carried me into donning the hat of "creative director" with my drama mama's, The West Chester Community Performers in several productions, and most recently, the Love Of Dunbar, the international virtual crew with those who also love his works.
As I quote the tag line of Mitch Capel, another Dunbarian...we do "Sto'trytelling" aka poetic storytelling carrying on the legacy of Dunbar.
This story is about the man who taught me the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Robert Jones of Coatesville, Pennsylvania.
Sunrise: January 24, 1950 - Sunset : October 30, 2018
I am writing this in 2019, and I am still so very sadden to muse over the passing of this wonderfully gifted man and my brother from another mother, Bob Jones of Coatesville, PA.
Back in 1992, Bob invited me to his rustic mansion on the hill, to rehearse with his close knit dance troupe. He taught and guided us all with down to earth patience and discipline. His method of creative thinking, performing and artful consciousness was something no university or school of theater could ever attempt to guide us into the web of Dunbar's works. Bob Jones opened my eyes, heart and soul to the spoken word poetry and the controversial life of Paul Laurence Dunbar and slavery in America.
Bobby grew up shoeing horses and listening to his dad and uncles recite Dunbar on his families farm in Chester County. His grandmother Ida Jones made her mark as a folk artist in her senior years. She has an historical marker in her honor along Route 82 on the road from Coatesville to Kennett Square, PA. not far from the Mason/Dixon line. Bob was born deep in roots and culture, a humble yet gifted, Renaissance man, free thinker, explorer, adventurer, master drummer who fiddled around on the fiddle too. I met him in 1990, when I was the girl scout leader for Maya, one of his many lovely daughters.
We met through his partner, Lee, the mother of Maya and when he witnessed a production I produced with the African-American Girl Scout Troupe, he invited me to join his circle of artists. A few of us met at the Coatesville library and I became one of the co-founders of the Coatesville Cultural Society.
Bob was all inclusive in his love of people and the performing arts and theater of all genre's was a road to racial unity and understanding.
In our rehearsals of Dunbar's works, knowing my love of the bass guitar, he taught me how to play a one string bass broom handle on a upside down bucket for a plantation jam session during one of our musical presentations.
The Coatesville Cultural Society tag line for our mission statement was...ART...All Races Together. I still have my T-shirt.
Bobby Jone's creative energy was released in the heart of an old steel town where "culture" is deeply and socially segregated. His greatest desire was to bring folks from all racial and economic backgrounds, together. It was a seed that needed watering in a small steel town. Racial tension had plagued the town for decades. The lynching of an African man in America, Zachariah Walker in the early 1900 was living history revisited in a book, "No Crooked Death" by Dennis B. Downey and Raymond M. Hyser. It was believed a few of the adults and children in the infamous photo of Zachariah as seen in THE BLACK BOOK, being burned at the stake like a pig roasted, (after they hung him) could still be alive in Coatesville, and never brought to justice, for this "northern" strange fruit incident. We were to bring a new generation together in harmony through theater.
First, came our Harmony Street Theater, a little store front ex-jewelry shop, with a black box in the back room. Many locals were personally invited to experience our quaint grass roots productions.
Intimately sitting, side by side. Sharing space. Bob purposely called everyone together, socially, politically, economically and all the allly's - if only for one evening of storytelling, theater, African drumming, country fiddle music and as he called it to "break bread" in community.
After each play, we'd circle up to get to know the person behind the sad, confused or smiling faces. All from very different backgrounds. We'd circle up to face each other and freely discuss the impact of experiencing; "Brothello"..."My Africa, My Children" "Wingate Hall", "Woman of Iliad" to mention just a few. Local vocalist, poets, musicians and passionate creative artists were given space, time and audiences to also shine in the venue.
In November and just in time for "Soliloquy of A Turkey" we eagerly brought to life Dunbar's humorous pathos and lyrics of love and laughter. Laughing and loving the high art of creativity, to discus our feelings about life, love, ups and downs, in the play or our personal lives....together. Warm connections and memorable moments is a understatement.
Many thought provoking and controversial productions were performed with spirit driven artists, those who Bob lived with and loved; Lee Heirs, Danny, Roberta, Ray, Isha, Falaq, Pooda, Ajene, Ann, Leora, Mary, Margaret and if I forgot to mention you, you know who you are....plus, later but not too late, his young grandson's were doin' Dunbar.
Coatesville Cultural Society sustained itself with funds from school shows, we locally toured, mostly Friends Schools. The children were mesmerized as we brought Dunbar's poetry to life with vignette's of plantation life during the Civil War.
Our funds were matched with grants, private investors and the city also pitched in to renovate a historic, once segregated department store.The newly renovated building shone as a beacon of hope in arts and culture. Huge gold lettering elegantly graced the facade of the building; COATESVILLE CULTURAL SOCIETY, brought a classy upgrade to a little run down section of what was striving to become "downtown" Coatesville.
The building housed a cafe', art gallery, apartment space, office space, large performance space and smaller black box upstairs. ....for well over 25 years, we affectionately called it "The Spot" on E. Lincoln Highway. Bob's generous transparent nature offered an outlet to hundreds of local artist to also showcase in performances, a visual art gallery and cafe' with chess club and poetry open mic gatherings.
Besides, his freckled face smile, I'll miss Doin' Dunbar with CCS friends. Before the Spot, square dances, at the firehouse is where this city girl from North Philly, who hated square dancing in a all girls high school at gym...doe see -doe with folks from all over town. We were the center of the universe bringing local stars to shine in a small little town near Amish County.
In September of 2018, Bob Jones had a stroke and due to the stroke, he was unable to undergo the surgery to remove a infected gall bladder. They warned him he wouldn't live much longer. No hospital hospice for him. Bob went back up the rocky unpaved road that led to his home on "the hill."
Resting in bed, his last weeks alive was surreal to all who visited him as he alternated between sleep, welcoming visitors, his children and staring out the window watching the trees drop leaves, between tears, hugs, and gentle smiles. The golden and red leaves felling gently from the forest of trees as if they were the tears of all who knew and loved him.
Tree's always surrounded us as always in the drum circles, Swedenborg discussions, listening and laughing at his children, family issues, friends dropping by to say goodbye.. This year, no cold winter death would catch the warmth of Bob Jones off guard.
He was dying. Everyone knew it. He bravely allowed his own transition to give up the physical. No drugs. No tubes. No fight against the natural course of life.
I visited him a few times, the last time I sat at the foot of his bed told him stories about what my now grown children were up to. He knew them from youth. I told him stories about my Dunbar gigs, jokes and thanked him for bringing Dunbar's gifts into my life.
I kissed Bob on the cheek, hugged him and assured him that I would "see him later, and it would be greater."
Lee, his devoted partner and mother of 5 of his children later told me Bob said I was a "funny lady." If all I could do was to leave him smiling, that was fine with me.
My good friend, my mentor in root n' culture theater....my Dunbar Svengali (a good one) who had no idea what a Svengali was!
Robert Jones, beloved charismatic countryman, who left behind 15 children, 30+ grand children (and still counting) countless friends. Bob's children and friends will continue his legacy of love and laughter, as we all are a reflection of his grace and kindness.
The following poem is the one Dunbar poem that speaks to my mentor and Dunbarian brother,
LIFE by Paul Laurence Dunbar
A crust of bread and a corner to sleep in,
A minute to smile and an hour to weep in,
A pint of joy to a peck of trouble,
And never a laugh but the moans come double;
And that is life!
A crust and a corner that love makes precious,
With a smile to warm and the tears to refresh us;
And joy seems sweeter when cares come after,
And a moan is the finest of foils for laughter;
And that is life.
By Paul Laurence Dunbar
Visit with Love Of Dunbar! page on this website. And join us in a monthly discussion and performance group. I continue the Dunbar journey with a international group of artists, teaching Dunbar as we continue to embrace the adventure and like Bob, for the Love of Dunbar.
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