Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872–1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short-story writer and one of the first African American authors to gain national prominence. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to formerly enslaved parents, he began publishing poetry while still young and later worked as an elevator operator as he sought a literary career. His first book, *Oak and Ivy* (1893), helped bring him wider attention, and he went on to publish many volumes of verse, including *Majors and Minors* (1895). Dunbar wrote in both African American dialect and standard English, and also produced fiction and essays. He died in Dayton at 33.