Everything about Gwendolyn Bennett totally explained
Gwendolyn B. Bennett (
July 8,
1902–
May 30,
1981) was an
African American writer who contributed greatly to, which chronicled cultural advancements in
Harlem. Though often overlooked, she herself made considerable accomplishments in poetry and prose. She is perhaps best known for her short story, "Wedding Day", which was published in the sole issue of
Fire,
Langston Hughes,
Zora Neale Hurston, and
Wallace Thurman's radical 1926 periodical.
Early Life and Work
Gwendolyn B. Bennett was born
July 8,
1902 in
Giddings, Texas to Joshua and Maime Bennett. She spent her early childhood in
Wadsworth, Nevada on the
Paiute Indian Reservation. Her parents taught in the
Indian Service for the
Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1906, when Bennett was four years old, her family moved to
Washington D.C. so Joshua could study law and Maime could train to be a
beautician. The move eventually led to her parents' divorce when Bennett was seven years old. Maime gained custody of Bennett, however, her father kidnapped her and they lived in hiding, along with her stepmother, Marechal Neil, along the East Coast and Pennsylvania. Her father eventually took them to New York where she attended Brooklyn's Girls' High from 1918 till 1921. 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
drama societies. Her high school play was written by Gwendolyn and also featured her as an
actress. She also wrote both the class graduation speech and the words to the graduation song.
After her graduation in 1921, she began to take art classes at
Columbia University and the
Pratt Institute. In her undergraduate studies, Bennett's poem "Heritage" was published in
Crisis in November, 1923 and also in December of the same year, her poem
Heritage was included in
Opportunity, a magazine published by the
National Urban League. She graduated from both institutes in 1924 and in June of that year, started teaching
design,
watercolor and
crafts at
Howard University. She graduated from
Pratt Institute in 1924 and was hired as an Assistant Professor of
Art at
Howard University. An scholarship enabling her to study abroad in
Paris, at
Sorbonne, was awarded to Bennett during December,
1924 Bennett then continued her
fine arts education at Academic Julian and Ecole du Pantheon in
Paris. During her studies in
Paris, She worked with a variety of materials, including
watercolor,
oil,
woodcuts,
pen and
ink, and
batik which was the beginning of her career as a
graphic artist. Most of her pieces from this period of her life were destroyed, however, in
1926 during a fire at her stepmother's home.
When Bennett left
Paris in 1926, she headed back to New York to become the assistant to the editor for
Opportunity. During her time employed at
Opportunity, she received the
Barnes Foundation fellowship for her work. Later during the same year she
Howard University to once again teach
fine arts. She remained the assistant to the editor at
Opportunity and was given the chance to publish her own article to discuss
literary and
fine arts. She titled her column
The Ebony Flute and used it to distribute news about the many creative thinkers that were involved with the
Harlem Renaissance. In
1926, She was also a co-founder of the
literary journal
Fire!!. She reviewed many writers' works and gave criticism on a regular basis through
Opportunity and
Fire!!
Harlem
Gwendolyn B. Bennett was one of the prominent participants in the 1920's
Black American arts movement, which is also more commonly known as the
Harlem Renaissance. Many of issues that plagued the
African American community are evident in her works. Her
African heritage is a main theme in her poetry. Her works reflected the shared themes and motifs of the
Harlem Renaissance.
Racial pride, rediscovery of
Africa, recognition of
African music and
dance were common themes in Bennett's works.
Her column,
The Ebony Flute, was Bennett's link to the
Harlem cultural and
social life. She used it to her advantage to network with other
poets and to spread the news of the
Renaissance. She would feature other writers' work and discuss them in her column. Although Bennett never published a collection of her own works and
poetry, she was a strong influence on the
Harlem Renaissance by giving the
African American community
racial pride. She also created a romantic vision of being
African through
romantic lyric.
Harlem Circles
During 1923 to 1931, Bennett started a support group that provided a warm, supportive place for the young writers of
Harlem that provided sustained association with their peers. Included in this group were
Langston Hughes,
Countee Cullen,
Eric Walrond,
Helene Johnson,
Wallace Thurman,
Richard Bruce Nugent,
Aaron Douglas,
Alta Douglass,
Rudolph Fisher and
Zora Neale Hurston. The group was designed to motivate these young writers to support and encourage each other and were also, in turn, encouraged to aspire to the levels of more established scholars such as
Charles S. Johnson,
Alain Locke,
W.E.B. Du Bois,
Jessie Fauset, and
James Weldon Johnson. Bennett said in a 1979 interview that, "nothing like this particular life in which you saw the same group of people over and over again. You were always glad to see them. You always had an exciting time when you were with them." This
Harlem circle that Gwendolyn developed helped her sustain her steady connection with the
Renaissance in
New York throughout a period of her life.
Criticism
Her work during this period of her life was very highly praised by her fellow writers in
Harlem. A very well-known 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." Very high praises for an
African American writer during this period of time.
J. Mason Brewer, an
African American storyteller, called Bennett a "nationally known artist and poetess." Since Mason was also a native Texan, he further stated that as a result of Bennett's
Texas birthplace, "
Texans feel that they've a claim on her and that the beautiful and poignant lyrics she writes resulted partially from the impression of her early
Texas surroundings". Bennett was a breath of Texan airs breezing through the halls of the
Harlem Renaissance.
Later Life and Harlem Influence
Bennett moved farther away from
Harlem when she married Dr. Alfred Joseph Jackson in 1927 and moved to
Eustis,
Florida. Jackson died in 1936 and Bennett moved back to
New York. In 1940, Bennett became involved in an interracial marriage with
Richard Crosscup which wasn't socially acceptable at Bennett's time.
Harlem was Bennett's passion however and during the late
1930s and the
1940s she remained in the arts and also served as a member of the
Harlem Artists Guild in 1935. The
Harlem Community Arts Center was under her leadership from 1939 to 1944. During this time, Bennett was also active on the board of the
Negro Playwright's Guild and very involved with the development of the
George Washington Carver Community School.
Bennett quietly faded from the public eye during the late-1940s but she remained close to the hub of busy
Harlem in
New York and her fellow
writers. She began working for the
Consumers Union during the later years of her life. Her retirement occurred in 1968 and moved with her husband, Crosscut, to
Kutztown,
Pennsylvania where they opened an
antique shop. Her husband died in 1980, due to heart failure, and Bennett died on
May 30,
1981 at the
Reading County Hospital.
Writings
Short Stories
Nonfiction
1926-1928 — "The Ebony Flute" (column) Opportunity
1924 — "The Future of the Negro in Art" Howard University Record (Dec)
1925 — "" Howard University Record (Feb)
1928 — "The American Negro Paints" Southern Workman (Jan)
1934 — "I go to Camp" Opportunity (Aug)
1934 — "Never the Twain Must Meet" Opportunity (Mar)
1935 — "" Crisis (June)
1937 — "The Harlem Artists Guild" Art Front (May)
Poetry
1923 — "Heritage" Opportunity (Dec)
1923 — "Nocturne" Crisis (Nov)
1924 — "To Usward" Crisis (May) and Opportunity (May)
1924 — "Wind" Opportunity (Nov)
1925 — "On a Birthday" Opportunity (Sept)
1925 — "Pugation" Opportunity (Feb)
1926 — "Song" Palms (Oct)
1926 — "Street Lamps in Early Spring" Opportunity (May)
1926 — "Lines Written At the Grave of Alexandre Dumas" Opportunity (July)
1926 — "Moon Tonight" Gypsy (Oct)
1926 — "Hatred" Opportunity (June)
1926 — "Dear Things" Palms (Oct)
1926 — "Dirge" Palms (Oct)
1934 — "Epitaph" Opportunity (Mar)
Her work is featured in numerous anthologies of the period, including the following:
Countee Cullen's Caroling Dusk (1924)
Alain Locke's The New Negro (1925)
William Braithwaite's Yearbook of American Poetry (1927)Further Information
Get more info on 'Gwendolyn Bennett'.
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