Paul Laurence Dunbar was an African American poet who mastered writing in both dialect and conventional English. He was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1872 to parents who had escaped slavery. Some of Dunbar's most famous poems written in dialect include "A Negro Love Song" and "When Malindy Sings," while poems written in conventional English include "The Farm House by the River" and "We Wear the Mask." Though some criticized his dialect poems for reinforcing stereotypes, Dunbar was a pioneering African American writer who is still widely studied today.

1. Paul Laurence Dunbar A poet who mastered the art of writing in dialect as well as conventional English. Sanyelle Stephens Professor Owens ENG 1102-XTIF 12/T3 March 3, 2012

2. History Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in Dayton Ohio on June 27, 1872. His parents had escaped from slavery in Kentucky, and his father was a veteran of the American Civil War. Dunbar's first professionally published poems were “Our Martyred Soldiers” and “On The River”, published in Dayton's The Herald newspaper, The Tattler.

3. Dunbar wrote many poems in his lifetime. Which included those written in African American dialect and conventional English. Although people were fans of both styles of writing most favored those written in Afirican American dialect.

5. When Dey 'Listed Colored Soldiers

6. Little Brown Baby

7. When Malindy Sings

8. Accountability

9. Opportunity

10. Frolic

12. Compensation

13. The making up

14. A Choice

15. Dream

16. Emancipation

17. We Wear The Mask

18. “A true singer of the people-white or black.” -New York Times In his preface to The Book of American Negro Poetry (1931) writer and activist James Weldon Johnson criticized Dunbar's dialect poems for fostering stereotypes of blacks as comical or pathetic and reinforcing the restriction that blacks write only scenes of plantation life. Many African Americans including myself don't take offence to his style of writing. In fact many people of all races appreciate and admire his writing, especially those written in dialect.

19. Paul Laurence Dunbar married married Alice Ruth Moore in 1898. Alice was also a poet as well as a teacher. They wrote books together as companion pieces. Dunbar was diagnosed with Tuberculosis in 1900. He and his wife seperated in 1902 but never divorced. He moved back to Dayton in 1904 to be with his mother. Dunbar later died in 1906 from tuberculosis. Dunbar's works still reign true to many today. His poetry is used in many English classes around the world. His home is a national landmark and tourism cite in Dayton, Ohio. He was and always will be an important part of African American history. END