She was born in Texas and lived for a time on the Paiute Reservation in Nevada, where her parents taught on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Birthplace : Giddings, Texas Her time in Florida had a negative impact on her work as it was too far from Harlem to promptly receive news for her to write about in her column for Opportunity.
Gwendolyn B. Bennett, a minor literary figure and graphic artist, is often mentioned almost in passing in association with other Harlem Renaissance writers whose reputations surpassed hers. [17] To keep updated with news, Bennett counted on her network contacts to foster the thriving and diverse environment that the Harlem Renaissance had to offer.
[23][24], In 1940, she married educator and writer Richard Crosscup, who was of European ancestry. [1] Bennett was a dedicated and self-preserving woman, respectfully known for being a strong influencer of African-American women rights during the Harlem Renaissance. “Gwendolyn Bennett’s ‘The Ebony Flute.’”, This page was last edited on 25 June 2020, at 03:13. While assistant to the editor at Opportunity she was given the chance to publish articles discussing topics involving literature and the fine arts, and her column titled "The Ebony Flute" (1926–28)[5] distributed news about the many creative thinkers involved with the Harlem Renaissance. Following the loss of life of her 1st husband, she wedded Richard Crosscup, despite a interpersonal climate that appeared down upon their interracial union. Activist and author James Weldon Johnson described Bennett's work as "delicate" and "poignant". Nationality : American She was an editor and columnist for the New York publication, Opportunity. ; dissolved). "Traveling Harlem's Europe: Vagabondage from Slave Narratives to Gwendolyn Bennett's 'Wedding Day' and Claude McKay's Banjo.". Since Brewer was also a native Texan, he further stated that as a result of Bennett's Texas birthplace, "Texans feel that they have a claim on her and that the beautiful and poignant lyrics she writes resulted partially from the impression of her early Texas surroundings." [6] In 1924, her poem "To Usward" was chosen as a dedication for the introduction of Jessie Fauset's novel There Is Confusion at a Civic Club dinner hosted by Charles S. [citation needed], In 1926, she was also a co-founder and editor of the short-lived literary journal, Fire!! She served as a member of the Harlem Artists Guild in 1935, and the Harlem Community Art Center was under her leadership from 1939-44. [26], During this time, she was active on the board of the Negro Playwright's Guild and involved with the development of the George Washington Carver Community School. Biography. Gwendolyn Bennett Bennett was born July 8, 1902, in Giddings, Texas, to Joshua Robbin Bennett[2] and Mayme F. (Abernethy) Bennett. [citation needed], Gwendolyn's parents divorced when she was seven years old.
Generation. [citation needed] In 1941, the FBI continuously investigated Bennett on suspicion that she was a Communist and continued to do so on and off until 1959 despite no conclusive or evidential findings. Copyright © 1997 by Oxford University Press, Poets.org Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038, Chaney, Michael A. Bennett began to write more frequently after working with the Federal Writers Project and Federal Art Project. [4], While attending Girls' High, Bennett was awarded first place in a school wide art contest, and was the first African-American to join the literary and dramatic societies. However, most of her pieces from this period of her life were destroyed during a fire at her stepmother's home in 1926. Her work during this period of her life was praised by her fellow writers in Harlem. [citation needed], Bennett retired in 1968 and moved with her husband, Richard Crosscup, to Kutztown, Pennsylvania, where they opened an antique shop called Buttonwood Hollow Antiques.
"A Blend of Voices: Composite Narrative Strategies in Biographical Reconstruction." Though often overlooked, she herself made considerable accomplishments in art, poetry, and prose. Yet in the midst of the Harlem Renaissance Bennett was widely recognized by her peers as one of the more active and promising authors of the New Negro movement. In Dolan Hubbard, ed., Govan, Sandra Y. In Nelson, Emmanuel S., ed., Wheeler, Belinda. She actually …. She then continued her fine arts education at the Académie Julian and the École du Panthéon in Paris. “The Ebony Flute” was another contribution that Bennett gave to the Harlem Renaissance, as she emphasized Harlem culture and social life. Gwendolyn B. Bennett (July 8, 1902 – May 30, 1981) was an American artist, writer, and journalist who contributed to Opportunity: A Journal of Negro Life, which chronicled cultural advancements during the Harlem Renaissance.Though often overlooked, she herself made considerable accomplishments in poetry and prose. "After the Renaissance: Gwendolyn Bennett and the WPA years.". Gwendolyn B. Bennett was a Cancer and was born in the G.I. She spent her early childhood in Wadsworth, Nevada, on the Paiute Indian Reservation. [citation needed], Bennett’s poems appeared in journals published during the Harlem Renaissance: Crisis, Opportunity, William Stanley Braithwaite's Anthology of Magazine Verse (1927), Yearbook of American Poetry (1927), Countee Cullen's Caroling Dusk (1927), and James Weldon Johnson's The Book of American Negro Poetry (1931). [9] A scholarship enabling her to study in Paris, France, at the Sorbonne, was awarded to Bennett during December 1924. Gwendolyn Bennett was born on July 8, 1902, in Giddings, Texas, to Joshua and Maime Bennett, who were both teachers at a Native American reservation. Gwendolyn B. Bennett (1902-1981) was a key figure in the development of the Harlem Renaissance and was a mainstay in the Harlem arts and education communities long after the Renaissance ended. 1935 — "Rounding the Century: Story of the Colored Orphan Asylum & Association for the Benefit of Colored Children in New York City". Gwendolyn B. Bennett was born in Texas. Gwendolyn B. Bennett admin September 21, 2019 Biography Leave a comment 42 Views An African-American writer and Harlem Renaissance … She wrote her high school play and was also featured as an actress. "The Diaries of Gwendolyn Bennett.". Her poems consist of Street Lights in PLANTING SEASON and Moon Tonight. Gwendolyn B. Bennett was an African American writer who contributed to Opportunity, which chronicled cultural advancements in Harlem. She wed Albert Jackson in 1927. J. Mason Brewer, an African-American folklorist and storyteller, called Bennett a "nationally known artist and poetess." Credited as : Author, Harlem Circles, Epitaph Opportunity, © 2010 BrowseBiography.com - Your Website for informations, John Legend collaborates with Pharrell, Q-Tip and Hit-Boy for, Jeff Bezos buys The Washington Post though he won't be leading, Quote from Pope Francis 'Who Am I to Judge? Ed. The playwright Theodore Ward declared that Bennett's work was one of the "most promising of the poets out of the Harlem Renaissance" and also called Bennett a "dynamic figure... noted for her depth and understanding." Gwendolyn B. Bennett was born in Texas on July 8, 1902. [7][8], Bennett graduated from Columbia and Pratt in 1924 and received a position at Howard University, where she taught design, watercolor painting and crafts. [25] Their interracial marriage was not socially acceptable at Bennett's time. One way she expressed and shared this vision was through, To a Dark Girl, one of her more famous works of poetry. She was created in Tx and lived for a while within the Paiute Booking in Nevada, where her parents trained with respect to the Bureau of Indian Affairs. [19] Bennett admired African-American artists and they made her feel proud to be part of that community, despite experiencing judgement from whites in the past. Read all poems of Gwendolyn Bennetta Bennett and infos about Gwendolyn Bennetta Bennett. Over a period of eight years, some of the most famous Harlem Renaissance figures, such as Wallace Thurman and Langston Hughes met up in these groups and produced significant works as a result.[22].