D.C. Noir 2. The Classics

Greek-American author. Many of his works are in the genre of detective fiction and set primarily in his hometown of Washington, D.C. He is also a film and television producer and a television writer.

Jean Toomer (born Nathan Pinchback Toomer; December 26, 1894 – March 30, 1967) was an American poet and novelist commonly associated with the Harlem Renaissance, though he actively resisted the association, and modernism. His reputation stems from his novel Cane (1923), which Toomer wrote during and after a stint as a school principal at a black school in rural Sparta, Georgia. Jean resisted being classified as a Negro writer, as he identified as "American". For more than a decade Toomer was an...

Langston Hughes (1902-1967) Writer, editor, lecturer Langston Hughes achieved fame as a poet during the burgeoning of the arts known as the Harlem Renaissance, but those who label him "a Harlem Renaissance poet" have restricted his fame to only one genre and decade. In addition to his work as a poet, Hughes was a novelist, columnist, playwright, and essayist, and though he is most closely associated with Harlem, his world travels influenced his writing in a profound way. Langston Hughes f...

Paul Laurence Dunbar was a celebrated poet and novelist whose work captured the African American experience. You'll find his insightful writing in collections like Prentice Hall Literature--Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes--The American Experience.

Richard Wright's work explores the rich history of Black American poetry. His notable collection, The Poetry of the Negro, 1746-1970, offers a deep dive into this vital literary tradition.