News
DUNBAR ORNAMENT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Pick up the perfect holiday gift, a Paul Laurence Dunbar ornament. Read more.

DUNBAR PHOTOGRAPHS
ON DISPLAY
"Black and White: Contemporary Photographic Interpretations of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Poetry." Read more.

SHARE THE AFRICAN AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park was awarded a Share the African American Experience Program grant by the African American Experience Fund of the National Park Foundation. Read more.

ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS
The public is invited to the awards ceremony honoring the winners in the Paul Laurence Dunbar Essay Contest. The program will be held at McNary Park Elementary School, 2400 Hoover Avenue, at 4:00 p.m.
Read the winners' names
Read the winning entries

GIOVANNI CALLS FOR NEW STATE MOTTO:''OHIO, HOME OF WRITERS''
During an informal chat at the University of Dayton, poet Nikki Giovanni talked about rap and politics, the blank page and the blank mind. Read more.

OPEN MIC
The winners of Sinclair's annual Paul Laurence Dunbar Poetry Contest will read this Thursday, February 16 at the African American History Month Open Mic.  The event will take place in the Bdlg. 8 Student Activities Center from 6 pm - 8 pm. The open mic will include readings by Sinclair students, a live jazz band and light refreshments. For more information, call 512-3887.

NIKKI GIOVANNI TO SPEAK
AT THE VICTORIA THEATRE
Poet and activist Nikki Giovanni returns to Dayton to honor the legacy of Paul Laurence Dunbar, with a special speaking engagement at the Victoria Theatre at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 17. Read more.

GRAVESIDE TRIBUTE
In honor of Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar on the centennial of his death, school children and local dignitaries will gather at Dunbar's grave at the Woodland Cemetery and Arboretum, 118 Woodland Ave., at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 9, for a graveside tribute.  A procession to the grave begins at 9:30 a.m. at the Woodland Mausoleum, but buses also will be available. Read more.

DUNBAR ESSAY CONTEST
K-12 students and undergraduate college students are eligible to enter essays about Paul Laurence Dunbar and his work. Read more.

Celebrate Dunbar!
on WDTN-TV
Celebrate Dunbar!, a yearlong community-wide tribute to Dayton poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, will be featured on WDTN-TV's ''Dayton and Beyond.'' The program will air at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12.  Read more.

Vignettes of the
Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance will come to life at the University of Dayton at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7, in the Kennedy Union Boll Theatre when the Core Ensemble performs “Of Ebony Embers: Vignettes of the Harlem Renaissance.” Read more.

Dayton Opera presents
free performance of
Common Ground
A special, one-time-only free public performance of the original operatic theater piece Paul Laurence Dunbar: Common Ground will take place  February 5, 2006 at 3 pm at Margaret’s Episcopal Church. Read more.

Meet the artists
Seventeen local African-American visual artists will be on hand from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, at an artists' reception at the EbonNia Gallery to show off  new works that explore poet Paul Laurence Dunbar's legacy and influence. Read more.

Dunbar digital collection
The Wright State University Library Digital Text Collection was established to honor Dayton poet and novelist, Paul Laurence Dunbar. Read more.

He borrows
Dunbar's voice
For more than three
decades, Herbert
Woodward Martin
has been borrowing
Paul Laurence
Dunbar's voice and
captivating audiences.
He'll bring his one-man show to campus on Nov. 3. Read more.

Nonprofit organizations
join forces to stage events
More than a dozen major regional organizations are joining forces to stage a yearlong community-wide tribute to Paul Laurence Dunbar, Dayton native and the first African-American poet to garner national critical acclaim. Read more.

Dance, song, poetry and visual art in tribute
A century after Paul Laurence Dunbar's death, organizations in his hometown are marshalling their creative energies and producing numerous public events to celebrate the poet's life and work. Read more.










Celebrate Dunbar! Partners
Arts Center Foundation
Central State University
Dayton Assn. for the Study of    
     African American Life & History
Dayton Aviation Heritage
      National Historical Park
Dayton Contemporary
      Dance Company
Dayton Opera Association
Doris L. Allen Minority Caucus of
     the Dayton Educ. Assn.
Dream Keeper Theatre Company
Dunbar House
Ebonnia Gallery
Muse Machine
National Afro-American Museum
      and Cultural Center
Paul Laurence Dunbar
      High School
Reggie Evans, composer
Sinclair Community College
University of Dayton
Victoria Theatre Association
Wright Dunbar Inc.
Wright State University
Coming events
August 2006
Aug: 27: Games of Dunbar's Time, 1-4 pm
Dunbar House – Ohio Historical Society
Families will love this event where they can escape the fast pace of today’s daily life and participate in games of Paul Laurence Dunbar’s time. Featured will be badminton, horseshoes, croquet and parlor games.  Site admission is adults $7 and children $3.

September 2006
Sept. 10: Dunbar Interpreters to perform in Los Angeles, 12-4pm. Location TBA
Several top Paul Laurence Dunbar interpreters will gather to
perform Dunbar's stories, plays and poetry. They include Oni Lasana, Bobby Norfolk and other nationally renowned Dunbar enthusiasts.  For more information, call Samuel Reece at (310) 874-0554.

Sept. 30: Croquet with the Celebrities, 3-5 pm.
Dunbar House – Ohio Historical Society
Local personalities will challenge each other in the popular game of Dunbar’s time -- croquet. The public will be able to watch the game and participate in the silent auction in the Visitor’s Center.
Site admission is adults $7 and children $3.

October 2006
Oct. 7 (8 p.m.) and Oct. 8 (4 p.m.): DCDC will stage the world premiere of a new dance work inspired by the poetry and life of Paul Laurence Dunbar at the Victoria Theatre. Choreographed by Broadway choreographer Dianne McIntyre. Tickets range from $12.50 - $45. Call (937) 228-3630. This work is made possible by generous funding from The Kettering Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Oct. 14: Java and Jazz, 6-9 pm
Dunbar House – Ohio Historical Society
Jazz was a fundamental part of the Black community and culture in Dunbar’s time.  Come to the Dunbar house “coffee house” for the evening and enjoy local jazz musicians and light refreshments and coffee in the courtyard. Reservations needed.  Tickets are $10 for adults, OHS member adults- $8. 937-224-7061 or 800-860-0148

November 2006
Nov. 25: Elizabeth Florence Wellness Day, 10 am to 2 pm
Dunbar House – Ohio Historical Society
This community-based event is done in conjunction with the Wright State Medical Center, who is developing a medical center in the Dunbar neighborhood.  Health screenings done by the Wright State Medical program will be provided.  Elizabeth Florence, Dunbar’s sister died in childhood due to lack of money to see a doctor.  House will not be open for tour.  Event is free.

See all events.
A community collaboration to honor the life and works of Paul Laurence Dunbar