: About Me

I truly believe the Harlem Renaissance inspired a national community of black writers from as early as 1858 when William Wells Brown wrote the first play Escape and a Leap to Freedom and Joseph Cotter Sr who wrote the play Caleb, the Degenerate in 1903. The pioneering efforts of these two men was the beginning. The true serious beginning was in 1917 by Ridgely Torrence who wrote The Rider Dreams, Simon the Cyrenian and Granny Maumee. Later there was Eugene O'Neill, Willis Richardson and Garland Anderson. Frank Wilson made history with Porgy and Bess. Wallace Thurman capitalized on Harlem i...