Countee Cullen was an African American poet, playwright, and novelist and a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. His informal education was shaped by Black culture and ideas, while his formal education was dominated by white culture, a dichotomy that profoundly impacted his writing.
Copper Sun, a collection of over fifty poems, is his second book of poetry. Cullen explores the emotional consequences of race, religion, and sexuality in Jazz Age America. His verse is moving, eloquent, and poignant and is as powerful today as when it was published nearly a century ago. Accompanied by seventeen beautiful Art Deco illustrations from the original publication, these poems will inspire conversations about courage, heartache, identity, love, and more while nourishing your spirit every step along the way.
