Paul Laurence Dunbar, Poet and Writer

#OTD Dec 20, 1892: Paul Laurence Dunbar received the 1st 1,000 copies of his debut poetry collection, ‘Oak and Ivy’. Unable to afford the $125 publishing costs, he accepts a loan from a white friend. The loan will be quickly repaid through book sales, often to passengers in the elevator of the Dayton, OH, building where he worked.

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