f you've tried to locate information about African American writers of Boston, you know the resulting frustration.
This is particularly odd considering that Boston boasts an African American presence that is over 350 years old. As the media have promoted wider awareness of black contributions-especially during Black History Month-the public is avid to learn more of Black Boston's literary and artistic past and present.

In the 1920s a vibrant black community had established itself in Roxbury, with its own social and cultural institutions, newspapers, dramatic troupes, and organized literary events. Writing flourished in private salons, such as "The Saturday Evening Club."

Black Boston's writers published locally and in such New York journals as "The Crisis" and "Opportunity," as well as many others, including "Vanity Fair," "The Messenger," "The American Mercury," and in anthologies edited by Bostonian poet and critic William Stanley Braithwaite.