The Selected Works of Georgia Douglas Johnson by Georgia Douglas Johnson

Helene Johnson, like her cousin Dorothy West, was one of the youngest of the Harlem Renaissance poets.

Govanįor more information on Gwendolyn Bennett’s life, writing, and art, see the following resources: She was a friend and associate of such figures as Langston Hughes, Aaron and Alta Douglas, Countee Cullen, and Zora Neale Hurston. Despite frequent absences from New York, Bennett belonged to the close-knit Harlem Writers Guild. Also in 1926, Bennett served on the editorial board of the short-lived Fire !!where “Wedding Day,” her first published short story, appeared. In August of 1926, Bennett began the “Ebony Flute,” a literary and social chit-chat column featured in Opportunity until 1928.

In 1923 Opportunity published her poem “Heritage,” and The Crisis carried a cover which she illustrated. While studying art, Bennett also wrote poetry she was soon successful in both media. She entered Teacher’s College, Columbia University, taking courses in Art Education in 1924, she graduated from Pratt Institute. Following graduation form Brooklyn’s Girls High, Bennett planned to become a graphic and visual artist. Gwendolyn Bennett, best known for her striking poetry largely composed during the decade of the 1920s, was actively involved in African American culture and the arts community over twenty years. The sunflower reminds me of a sunRISE, so I couldn’t resist placing them together. I recently moved it from my home office to my work office where it hangs as you see it with a sunflower art by Ty, one of my former students. This is one of two precious gifts she sent in honor of my 1LW. The “Rise” pennant in the photo above was made by my Love Notes friend Lori-Anne C. Be sure to check out her post on “boundaries,” her one little word. My friend, Cy, also posted about her 1LW today. Īnd look down on the things that fetter me,Īnd look down upon the things that fetter me. However, Johnson’s poem speaks to the journey I’m on as an individual wrestling with and rising above personal challenges. Georgia Douglas Johnson’s poem, “When I Rise Up Above the Earth” was the first poem I ran across related to my “one little word.” Of course, I am familiar with Maya Angelou’s popular “Still I Rise,” which gives voice to a collective Black “I”–talking back to and ascending in spite of an oppressive system.

The Selected Works of Georgia Douglas Johnson by Georgia Douglas Johnson