Paul Laurence Dunbar

Specific Dunbar Initiative elements include the development of new and enhanced undergraduate curricula, the creation of experiential learning and research opportunities for undergraduate students, and the launch of a major digital platform that will make original Dunbar sources, materials and music freely available for research, teaching and community engagement.

The Dunbar Initiative seeks to bridge campus and community, teaching and research, and the humanities and other disciplines, by engaging students, researchers and community members with the many facets of Dunbar's life. Moreover, it seeks to elevate the experience and contributions of a key figure in American history and culture. If you are interested in the Dunbar Initiative, or want to take part in teaching, research, or community engagement related to Paul Laurence Dunbar, please reach out to the project directors at DunbarInitiative@udayton.edu.

The Dunbar Faculty Development Cohort provides stipends to faculty who participate in a three-day intensive workshop about Paul Laurence Dunbar and later create or revise a course to integrate Dunbar-related material into their teaching.

Interdisciplinary connections are strongly encouraged; previous cohorts have included faculty from computer science, history, theater, English and others.

For more information, email the project team.

The Dunbar Initiative project is led by Minnita Daniel-Cox and Ju Shen.

Herbert Woodward Martin, born in 1933, served as professor of English and poet-in-residence at the University of Dayton for more than three decades where he taught creative writing and African-American literature. He has devoted decades to editing and giving performances of the works of the poet and novelist Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906). He is also the editor of four books as well as the author of nine volumes of poetry.

New York The Nine Million, Abracadabra Press, 1967

The Shit-Storm Poems, Pilot Press, 1972

The Persistence of The Flesh, Lotus Press, 1976

The Forms of Silence, Lotus Press, 1980

Galileo's Suns, Bottom Dog Press, 1999

The Log of The Vigilante, Mellen Press, 2000

Escape To The Promised Land, Bottom Dog Press, 2005

Inscribing My Name, Kent State University Press, 2007

On the Flyleaf: Poems, Bottom Dog Press, 2013

Paul Laurence Dunbar: A Singer of Songs, State Library of Ohio, 1980

In His Own Voice: The Uncollected Works of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Ohio University Press, 2002

Paul Laurence Dunbar: Selected Poems, Penguin Press, 2004

The Collected Novels of Paul Laurence Dunbar, Ohio University Press, 2009

Listen to Herbert Woodward Martin reading the works of Paul Laurence Dunbar at the Department of Music's Dunbar Music Archive.

Martin's readings are also available on DVD. To request a DVD, send your return address and a check for $24.95 to:

Herbert Woodward Martin
Department of English
University of Dayton
Dayton, OH 45469-1520

The price above includes the cost of the DVD ($19.95) plus $5 for shipping and handling.