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Poetry writing flourished among Black Bostonians
of the Harlem Renaissance era, but none of the fledging
poets ever saw their work collected in a volume.
The poetry of Helene
Johnson (1907-1995) was published posthumously,
as This
Waiting for Love: Helene Johnson, Poet of the Harlem
Renaissance. Johnson expressed a range of sentiments,
including love for sensuous beauty, deep respect
for African heritage and a longing for personal
freedom from bourgeois rules.
Grace Vera Postles is the author of a number
of short poems in free verse. Her themes range from
simple observation of natural surroundings to more
pensive responses to experiences of intense pain
or joy.
Some others who contributed to the sum of Black
Bostonian poetic writing are:
McBrown directed her poetry and plays to children,
especially black children, whose creativity she
sought to nourish. Selections from most of these
poets can be found in Lorraine Elena Roses
and Ruth E. Randolph’s anthology, Harlem’s
Glory: Black Women Writing, 1900-1950.
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