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Henry Dumas

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report, the officer claimed that Dumas had been threatening another man with a knife. The officer said that he ordered Dumas to drop the knife, but that Dumas instead turned, attacked the officer, and slashed the officer's cheek. The officer stated that he fired three times.
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in 1979. Dumas often addresses other prevalent themes of the 1960s. In his poem "Afro American," he attempts to define not only, what it means to be black, but also of dual heritage and proposes the recognition of both a dual heritage and that of each of its creators.
328:. To generate interest in Dumas, Morrison hosted a book launch party on October 13, 1974. In her invitation, Morrison said of Dumas's work that it was "some of the most beautiful, moving, and profound poetry and fiction that I have ever in my life read." When 740: 1190: 220:, one of Dumas's fellow teachers and poet, to talk to Loretta Dumas about publishing his works posthumously. The die was cast, arrangements were made and with the editorial assistance of Hale Chatfield, founder of the 256:
The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear, as no witnesses testified and no records remain since the Transit Police Department's records of the shooting were destroyed when the agency merged into the
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Dumas had a strong interest in the music and folk elements that are strongly related to the black experience. In the 1960s, he became increasingly recognized as one of the most important voices of the
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at a young age. Dumas used his spiritual upbringing as well as his other experiences as a black child growing up in the south during the 1930s and 1940s frequently in his writings.
179:, Texas. Dumas also spent eighteen months on the Arabian Peninsula, where he developed an interest in Arab culture. He was in the military until 1957, at which time he enrolled at 191: 767: 312:
were both first published in 1970 by Southern Illinois University Press, where Dumas worked before his death. Toni Morrison, then working as an editor at Random House, read
894: 159:, in 1934 and lived there until the age of ten, when he moved to New York City; however, he always kept with him the religious and folk traditions of his hometown. In 183:, where he attended as a full-time and a part-time student without attaining a degree. Dumas and Ponton had two sons: David, born in 1958, and Michael, born in 1962. 1011: 895:"Author left legacy of promise and magic; Anniversary: 30 years after his untimely death, Henry Dumas is remembered for what he wrote and what he might have been" 300:
A limited amount of Dumas's work was published during his lifetime in several small magazines and journals in the 1960s. It was mainly through the efforts of
171:. But prior to beginning his military journey, he met a woman named Loretta Ponton in New York. The two would keep in touch, marrying in 1955 and moving to 1185: 358:. Poet Eugene Redmond, Dumas's literary executor and editor, helped renew interest in Dumas in 1988 with the publication of the short-story collection 1175: 377:
has referenced Dumas in song multiple times, most notably in the song "Napping Under the Echo Tree" whose title is a reference to Dumas's book
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and used her influence to have Random House publish two collections of Dumas's published and unpublished writings in 1974,
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from 1967 until his death in 1968. After Dumas's untimely death Dr. Crosby returned to the editorial staff of the
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will help introduce Dumas to a whole new audience and help bolster the foundation that the moment rests upon."
338: 265: 1225: 237: 187: 163:, he attended public school and graduated from Commerce High School in 1953. After graduating, he attended 131:(July 20, 1934 – May 23, 1968) was an American writer and poet. He has been called "an absolute genius" by 968: 367: 866: 653: 995:"The Black Scholar Announces Second Annual W.E.B. DU Bois Essay Award Winners and Honorable Mentions" 994: 473: 304:, the executor of Dumas's literary estate, that various collections of his work have been published. 942: 269: 164: 362:, which contained both previously published and new works. Redmond released a second collection, 236:
On May 23, 1968, at approximately 12:15 a.m., Dumas was shot to death at the age of 33 by a
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Eugene B. Redmond, "Poet Henry Dumas: Distance Runner, Stabilizer, Distiller", introduction to
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during the mid-1960s. Dumas's poem "Black Paladins" became the title track for a recording by
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Front cover of the first edition of Ark of Bones (Southern Illinois University Press, 1970)
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Eugene B. Redmond, "The Ancient and Recent Voices within Henry Dumas", introduction to
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Dana A. Williams, "Making the Bones Live Again: A Look at the 'Bones People' in
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In 1967, Dumas became a teacher-counselor and director of language workshops at
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African Americans shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States
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Both his fiction and his poetry developed themes of the Black Arts or
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in 1995. Dumas's death is often called "a case of mistaken identity".
844:"The Devil and Henry Dumas – A lost voice of the Black Arts Movement" 579: 469: 465: 928:, from the website of the National Cemetery Administration of the 925: 32: 194:, in East St. Louis. He worked there under the direction of Dr. 461: 425: 160: 699: 712:. Urbana and Chicago: University of Illinois Press. pp.  457: 421: 389:
Dumas described himself as having been heavily influenced by
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at the time. Some of Dumas's early work was published in the
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ENGLISH STUDIES/CULTURE STUDIES: Institutionalizing Dissent
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Knees of a Natural Man: The Selected Poetry of Henry Dumas
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Knees of a Natural Man: The Selected Poetry of Henry Dumas
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proved to be major influences on his writing. Elements of
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Echo Tree: The Collected Short Fiction of Henry Dumas
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Echo Tree: the Collected Short Fiction of Henry Dumas
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published posthumous collections both of his poetry,
566:Morrison, Toni (1988). "On Behalf of Henry Dumas". 749:(May 23, 1968), p. 5. Retrieved August 23, 2015. 1157: 1001:, 8:2, ii–iii. Published online April 15, 2015. 809: 527:Goodbye, Sweetwater: New and Selected Stories 1062:and Thadious M. Davis, 1985, pp. 89–99. 930:United States Department of Veterans Affairs 408:, immersing himself in music, particularly 354:s first creative writing award, chosen by 345:In 1976, Dumas's short story "Thalia" won 240:officer on the southbound platform of the 31: 1186:20th-century American short story writers 1151:Poets.org – The Academy of American Poets 287: 892: 864: 705: 565: 291: 1068:, "Henry Dumas: Black Word-Worker", in 1050:Carolyn A. Mitchell, "Henry Dumas", in 276:, the poem "Night, for Henry Dumas" by 1158: 1121:, University of Georgia Press (2014), 1072:Vol. 22, No. 2 (Summer 1988): 402–404. 966: 1176:20th-century African-American writers 805: 803: 801: 765: 634:. Poetry Foundation. October 28, 2017 1236:Southern Illinois University faculty 1221:People from Pulaski County, Arkansas 1206:African-American short story writers 1111:Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas 1103:College Language Association Journal 793:Visible Man: The Life of Henry Dumas 761: 759: 757: 755: 671: 669: 667: 665: 663: 561: 559: 404:and its artistic manifestation, the 280:, and the poem "For Henry Dumas" by 967:Lester, Julius (January 19, 1975). 947:Krieger School of Arts and Sciences 893:Thompson, M. Dion (July 24, 1998). 424:. Dumas studied with jazz musician 135:, who as a commissioning editor at 13: 1034: 798: 766:Ahmed, Beenish (October 1, 2015). 226:Southern Illinois University Press 224:, Dumas's works were published by 14: 1252: 1211:American male short story writers 1132: 865:Grumbach, Doris (June 26, 1988). 752: 660: 556: 242:125th Street/Lenox Avenue station 1052:Dictionary of Literary Biography 932:. Retrieved on August 23, 2015. 198:, who was also an editor of the 1139:Modern American Poetry material 1070:Black American Literature Forum 1045:Ark of Bones' and Other Stories 1004: 987: 960: 935: 919: 886: 836: 677:"Henry Dumas's Life and Career" 568:Black American Literature Forum 490: 259:New York City Police Department 1241:United States Air Force airmen 1216:Deaths by firearm in Manhattan 1056:Afro-American Poets since 1955 785: 730: 620: 615:Ark of Bones and Other Stories 607: 602:Play Ebony, Play Ivory: Poetry 594: 521:Rope of Wind and Other Stories 503:Ark of Bones and Other Stories 339:The New York Times Book Review 306:Ark of Bones and Other Stories 192:Experiment in Higher Education 1: 1196:African-American male writers 549: 384: 266:Long Island National Cemetery 238:New York City Transit Police 188:Southern Illinois University 150: 7: 1181:20th-century American poets 1105:42: 3 (March 1999): 309–19. 814:. New York: Facts On File. 368:Black Lives Matter movement 16:American writer (1934–1968) 10: 1257: 1144:December 21, 2008, at the 1095:Joe Turner's Come and Gone 926:National Gravesite Locator 795:, pp. 2 and 145–53 (2014). 515:Jonoah and the Green Stone 1231:Rutgers University alumni 741:Knife Brings Death Bullet 706:Smithson, Isaiah (1994). 480:appear in Dumas's works. 474:Native American mythology 320:, which was a reprint of 143:, and his short stories, 118: 110: 100: 76: 59: 39: 30: 23: 867:"Notes of a Visible Man" 852:, October/November 2004. 812:African-American writers 681:www.english.illinois.edu 485:Black Aesthetic movement 270:Suffolk County, New York 231: 165:City College of New York 969:"Play Ebony Play Ivory" 545:, 2003) (short stories) 173:Lackland Air Force Base 1201:African-American poets 810:Bader, Philip (2004). 652:: CS1 maint: others ( 529:(1988) (short stories) 523:(1979) (short stories) 509:Play Ebony, Play Ivory 505:(1970) (short stories) 364:Knees of a Natural Man 330:Play Ebony, Play Ivory 318:Play Ebony, Play Ivory 297: 288:Posthumous recognition 141:Play Ebony, Play Ivory 1018:on September 25, 2017 295: 167:, before joining the 1117:May 2, 2014, at the 907:on November 14, 2015 497:Poetry for My People 402:Black Power Movement 322:Poetry for my People 314:Poetry for My People 310:Poetry for My People 264:Dumas was buried in 246:New York City Subway 157:Sweet Home, Arkansas 53:Sweet Home, Arkansas 1226:Poets from Arkansas 743:, reprinted in the 406:Black Arts Movement 248:. According to the 222:Hiram Poetry Review 201:Hiram Poetry Review 1077:Goodbye Sweetwater 1043:, introduction to 973:The New York Times 872:The New York Times 543:Coffee House Press 454:Black Christianity 360:Goodbye Sweetwater 332:appeared in 1974, 298: 181:Rutgers University 155:Dumas was born in 1127:978-0-8203-2870-6 1108:Jeffrey B. Leak, 1097:and Henry Dumas' 1041:Eugene B. Redmond 999:The Black Scholar 900:The Baltimore Sun 791:Jeffrey B. Leak, 687:on March 20, 2019 632:Poetry Foundation 478:African mythology 434:Famoudou Don Moye 348:The Black Scholar 302:Eugene B. Redmond 282:Stanley Cooperman 126: 125: 101:Literary movement 1248: 1066:John A. Williams 1028: 1027: 1025: 1023: 1014:. Archived from 1008: 1002: 991: 985: 984: 982: 980: 964: 958: 957: 955: 953: 939: 933: 923: 917: 916: 914: 912: 903:. 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Index


Sweet Home, Arkansas
New York City
short fiction
Black Aesthetic
Toni Morrison
Random House
Sweet Home, Arkansas
Harlem
City College of New York
Air Force
Lackland Air Force Base
San Antonio
Rutgers University
Southern Illinois University
Experiment in Higher Education
Edward W. Crosby
Hiram Poetry Review
Eugene Redmond
Southern Illinois University Press
New York City Transit Police
125th Street/Lenox Avenue station
New York City Subway
Associated Press
New York City Police Department
Long Island National Cemetery
Suffolk County, New York
Robert Pinsky
Aracelis Girmay
Stanley Cooperman

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