African-American poet, novelist and playwright Paul Lawrence Dunbar was born on June 27, 1872, in Dayton, Ohio.

Although he lived only to age 33, Dunbar managed to establish himself as a prolific writer and earned the distinction of becoming the first African-American poet to gain national prominence. Dunbar was known for his ability to write compelling works in both Standard English and African-American dialect. Throughout his short writing career, Dunbar produced more than a dozen books of poetry, four books of short stories, four novels and a play.

He died from tuberculosis on Feburary 9, 1906.

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