February 1, 2010   Shelf Love: The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

February 2, 2010   Evening All Afternoon: Cane by Jean Toomer

February 3, 2010   Daily Words and Acts: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 4, 2010   Paperback_Reader: Quicksand by Nella Larsen

February 4, 2010   BookNAround: The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories by Charles Chesnutt

February 6, 2010   Moored at Sea: Negritude and the Harlem Renaissance

February 6, 2010   Joyfully Retired: His Eye is On the Sparrow by Ethel Waters (autobiography) and the life of Ethel Waters

February 8, 2010   Sparks’ Notes: Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset

February 9, 2010   The Zen Leaf: Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston

February 10, 2010  Books and Chocolate: Passing by Nella Larsen

February 11, 2010   Laura’s Reviews: Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 11, 2010   Musings: The Ways of White Folks: Stories by Langston Hughes

February 12, 2010   Bibliosue: Home to Harlem by Claude McKay

February 13, 2010   Rebecca Reads: Black No More by George Schuyler

February 14, 2010   eclectic / eccentric Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance by Bruce Nugent and an overview of African-American homosexuality during the Renaissance

February 15, 2010   Nonsuch Book Harlem Renaissance Poetry in Fire!! by Wallace Thurman

February 16, 2010   Notes from the North The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

February 17, 2010   Becky’s Book Reviews Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

February 17, 2010   Notorious Spinks Talks Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance by Bruce Nugent and the movie Brother to Brother

February 19, 2010   Reviews by Lola Passing by Nella Larsen

February 21, 2010   book-a-rama Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 22, 2010   Michelle’s Masterful Musings When Washington Was in Vogue by Edward Christopher Williams

February 23, 20101  BrownGirl BookSpeak There Is Confusion by Jessie Fauset

February 24, 2010    Wuthering Expectations The Conjure Woman by Charles Chesnutt

February 25, 2010    Linus’s Blanket Stories by Zora Neale Hurston

February 26, 2010    My Friend Amy Quicksand by Nella Larson

February 26, 2010   things mean a lot Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

February 28, 2010    BookLust The House Behind the Cedars by Charles Chesnutt

February 22, 2010   Michelle’s Masterful Musings When Washington Was in Vogue by Edward Christopher Williams

February 23, 20101  BrownGirl BookSpeak There Is Confusion by Jessie Fauset

February 24, 2010    Wuthering Expectations The Conjure Woman by Charles Chesnutt

February 25, 2010    Linus’s Blanket Stories by Zora Neale Hurston

February 26, 2010    My Friend Amy Quicksand by Nella Larson

February 26, 2010   things mean a lot Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

February 27, 2010    Bookgazing Gentleman Jigger by Bruce Nugent

February 28, 2010    BookLust The House Behind the Cedars by Charles Chesnutt

February 15, 2010   Nonsuch Book Harlem Renaissance poetry from Fire!

February 16, 2010   Notes from the North The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

February 17, 2010   Becky’s Book Reviews Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

February 17, 2010   Notorious Spinks Talks Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance by Bruce Nugent and the movie Brother to Brother

February 18, 2010   The Things We Read Passing by Nella Larsen

February 19, 2010   Reviews by Lola Passing by Nella Larsen

February 20, 2010  Gimme More Books! The Conjure-Man Dies by Rudolph Fisher

February 21, 2010   book-a-rama Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 8, 2010   Sparks’ Notes Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset

February 9, 2010   The Zen Leaf Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston

February 10, 2010  Books and Chocolate Passing by Nella Larsen

February 11, 2010   Laura’s Reviews Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 11, 2010   Musings The Ways of White Folks: Stories by Langston Hughes

February 12, 2010   Bibliosue Home to Harlem by Claude McKay

February 13, 2010   Rebecca Reads Black No More by George Schuyler

February 14, 2010   eclectic / eccentric Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance by Bruce Nugent and an overview of African-American homosexuality during the Renaissance

February 1, 2010   Shelf Love The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

February 2, 2010   Evening All Afternoon Cane by Jean Toomer

February 3, 2010   Daily Words and Acts Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 4, 2010   Paperback_Reader Passing and/or Quicksand by Nella Larsen

February 4, 2010   BookNAround The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories by Charles Chesnutt

February 5, 2010   A Striped Armchair The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man by James Weldon Johnson

February 6, 2010   Moored at Sea Overview: The relationship between the Harlem Renaissance and the Negritude movement of the French Colonies that grew from it.

February 6, 2010   Joyfully Retired His Eye is On the Sparrow by Ethel Waters (autobiography) and the life of Ethel Waters

February 7, 2010   Stephanie’s Confessions of a Book-a-Holic Not Without Laughter by Langston Hughes or The Conjure Man Dies by Rudolph Fisher

The button for this month’s tour has a picture by Harlem Renaissance artist Aaron Douglas (1899-1979). He moved to Harlem in 1925 and his art was an important part of the Renaissance movement.

This picture is called “Song of the Towers.” It is a panel from the four-part mural Douglas painted for Fisk University called “Aspects of Negro Life.” I think it captures the artistic aspects of the Harlem Renaissance by making jazz music it’s icon.

I hope you enjoy the tour this week!

Beginning Monday February 1, 2010, The Harlem Renaissance will be going on a virtual tour of the blogosphere. Check out these participating blogs where you’ll find reviews of a number of works, as well as general information posts about classic authors that influenced the era.

February 1, 2010   Shelf Love The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

February 2, 2010   Evening All Afternoon Cane by Jean Toomer

February 3, 2010   Daily Words and Acts Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 4, 2010   Paperback_Reader Passing and/or Quicksand by Nella Larsen

February 4, 2010   BookNAround The Wife of His Youth and Other Stories by Charles Chesnutt

February 6, 2010   Moored at Sea Overview: Negritude and the Harlem Renaissance

February 6, 2010   Joyfully Retired His Eye is On the Sparrow by Ethel Waters (autobiography) and the life of Ethel Waters

February 8, 2010   Sparks’ Notes Plum Bun by Jessie Redmon Fauset

February 9, 2010   The Zen Leaf Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston

February 10, 2010  Books and Chocolate Passing by Nella Larsen

February 11, 2010   Laura’s Reviews Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 11, 2010   Musings The Ways of White Folks: Stories by Langston Hughes

February 12, 2010   Bibliosue Home to Harlem by Claude McKay

February 13, 2010   Rebecca Reads Black No More by George Schuyler

February 14, 2010   eclectic / eccentric Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance by Bruce Nugent and an overview of African-American homosexuality during the Renaissance

February 15, 2010   Nonsuch Book Harlem Renaissance poetry from Fire!

February 16, 2010   Notes from the North The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois

February 17, 2010   Becky’s Book Reviews Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

February 17, 2010   Notorious Spinks Talks Gay Rebel of the Harlem Renaissance by Bruce Nugent and the movie Brother to Brother

February 18, 2010   The Things We Read Passing by Nella Larsen

February 19, 2010   Reviews by Lola Passing by Nella Larsen

February 20, 2010  Gimme More Books! The Conjure-Man Dies by Rudolph Fisher

February 21, 2010   book-a-rama Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

February 22, 2010   Michelle’s Masterful Musings When Washington Was in Vogue by Edward Christopher Williams

February 23, 20101  BrownGirl BookSpeak There Is Confusion by Jessie Fauset

February 24, 2010    Wuthering Expectations The Conjure Woman by Charles Chesnutt

February 25, 2010    Linus’s Blanket Stories by Zora Neale Hurston

February 26, 2010    My Friend Amy Quicksand by Nella Larson

February 26, 2010   things mean a lot Mules and Men by Zora Neale Hurston

February 27, 2010    Bookgazing Gentleman Jigger by Bruce Nugent

February 28, 2010    BookLust The House Behind the Cedars by Charles Chesnutt

Please note: If you are participating in this tour and the information above is incorrect or you need to make a change to your tour day, please let us know by leaving a comment or emailing rebecca[at]rebeccareid[dot]com or the Committee member who initially emailed you. Also, if you would like to be added to the schedule at this late point, let us know and we can still fit you in.

Yesterday, we introduced the historical background of the Harlem Renaissance. Today begins the sign up for that tour! See below to sign up. Sign up is closed.

Some people have expressed worry that they don’t know much about the options for this tour: the Harlem Renaissance is not something that they are incredibly familiar with.  To tell you the truth, we aren’t experts either.

However, we have taken some time to pull together what we feel is a rather comprehensive list of writers, philosophers, and artists, that we think would make this tour fun. Although we haven’t read most of these works, we’ve done research through Wikipedia and other websites, found quotes from readers on what they liked about each author’s works, and tried to cover a variety of territory. We have list for the beginning of the movement, the poets, the fiction, and other options for the tour.

Note that even though are lists are huge, they are not comprehensive: we’ve probably missed something. If we have, you should choose to read that author for this tour!

On a personal note, I want to add that, although I realize most people won’t read through these lists completely, I found it very exciting to compile. As I read about each author, I wanted to read about that author for the Circuit. Now I can’t decide for myself! If you don’t know where to begin, these lists will probably get you wanting to read a little of everything!

A special thanks to Michelle at Michelle’s Masterful Musings, Nicole from Linus’s Blanket, Teresa from Shelf Love, and Kay from Kay’s Bookshelf for their help in putting this information together! It was a lot of work.

Brief Introductions

W.E.B. Du Bois nonfiction, such as The Souls of Black Folk helped change the face of race relations in the early years of the century, paving the way for the Renaissance. James Weldon Johnson’s poetry became a “national anthem” for African-Americans, and his semi-autobiographical The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man, was a landmark. Add Charles Chesnutt’s early novels and political leadership with the NAACP, some less well-known social activists and writers, and the 1925 anthology of African-American writing edited by Alain Locke, and the Harlem Renaissance was well underway.

The “flowering” of the Harlem Renaissance is often thought of in terms of the poetry it produced, from Langston Hughes to Claude McKay. Jean Toomer’s poetic novel Cane (1923) was also a milestone for African-American literature in the 1920s, and Countee Cullen and Arna Bontemps made their mark.

But the Harlem Renaissance created all types of writers. Although Zora Neale Hurston is probably the most recognized novelist to come out of Harlem, she began her writing career with folktale studies, and her novels reflect that. Jessie Redmon Fauset and Nella Larsen wrote novels focusing on middle class women. Wallace Thurman ’s The Blacker the Berry looks at discrimination among black people, and Walter White’s novel looks at the discrimination in the South.

Harlem Renaissance authors wrote in every genre. Randolph Fisher wrote a Harlem-based mystery novel. George Schuyler wrote dystopian science fiction. Arna Bontemps wrote historical fiction.  Claude McKay’s novels captured the “gritty” side of life in Harlem, from alcohol and murder, and Richard Bruce Nugent was the first African-American to write about open homosexuals, focusing on life in Harlem in the 1920s.

Even with all those authors whose works you can read, you could still read something else, such as reading and writing about general information about the movement to studying about the visual artists and musical artists behind it.

Sign up for the Tour

If you already know how you’d like to participate, please sign up below using the Google form. Please note that you must have a blog to participate, although it does not need to be a books blog. We will assign you a date in the month of February 2010 via email, so please specify which days you would or would not like the Harlem Renaissance to visit.

Sign up is closed.

Did you miss sign up? If you are disappointed and would still like to participate, please send an email as soon as possible to rebecca[at]rebeccareid[dot]com and we’ll find a time for you to join the tour.

Go to the sign-up post.

General Reading

General History or Criticism could provide a nice overview of the movement. For example, the following book(s) are a few that I found on Amazon.

• Harlem Stomp! A Cultural history of the Harlem Renaissance by Laban Carrick Hill, about 150 pages. See summaries and reviews at Amazon. A historical overview of the cultural development of the Renaissance, written for a Young Adult audience. There are some brief excerpts from essay, novels, and poetry.
• The Harlem Renaissance, Bloom’s Period Studies, about 300 pages. This volume of criticism has about 20 essays relating to the movement.
• The Power of Pride: Stylemakers and Rulebreakers of the Harlem Renaissance by Carole Marks and Diana Edkin s, about 150 pages. Black and white period photographs tell the story of the Harlem Renaissance.

Biographies of any of the authors or artists could also be read and discussed.

Anthologies could help give you a nice overview of the writing of the era.

• Caroling Dusk: An Anthology of Verse from Black Poets of the Twenties edited by Countee Cullen
• The Portable Harlem Renaissance Reader by David Levering Lewis, editor, about 800 pages. See summaries and reviews at Amazon. A sampling of stories, poetry, history, essays, and novel excerpts from some of the major writers of the era.
  • “This anthology contains works by many of the most important contributers to the Harlem Renaissance. The best parts of the volume are the poetry selections by poets such as Hughes, Cullen, and McKay as well as the essays by Alain Locke. The works by Hurston and Toomer are also quite good. The essays by Locke (especially the New Negro) feature insight into many of the ideas and developments that took place in order to bring about this important historical and cultural movement. This book is a definite must read.” A Customer at Amazon

• The New Negro: An Interpretation (edited by Alain Locke, 1925; about 400 pages) As an anthology of fiction, poetry, and essays published during the early years of the Renaissance, this volume greatly impacted the subsequent flowering of Harlem.

Visual Artists

Although the focus of the Circuit will probably default to writers (since this was started by book bloggers), reading and writing about the visual artists could also be very interesting. Names below link to Wikipedia for more information. For a more complete list, see Wikipedia.

• Jacob Lawrence
• Charles Alston
• Henry Bannarn
• Augusta Savage
• Aaron Douglas
• Archibald Motley
• Palmer Hayden
• William H. Johnson
• Beauford Delaney
• Norman Lewis

Music and Performing Arts

As above, reading and writing about the music and performing arts could also be very interesting. Names below link to Wikipedia for more information. For a more complete list, see Wikipedia.

• Billie Holiday
• Duke Ellington
• Louis Armstrong
• Bessie Smith
• Fats Waller
• James P. Johnson
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Ethel Waters
• Chick Webb