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Negro Poets and Their Poems by Robert Thomas Kerlin is one of the earliest comprehensive studies and anthologies devoted to African American poetry. Published in 1923, this groundbreaking work introduced readers to a vibrant body of literary art that was reshaping American culture during the Harlem Renaissance.
Kerlin, a white scholar and minister deeply sympathetic to the cause of racial equality, compiled this collection to highlight the artistic and intellectual achievements of Black poets. Featuring writers such as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Georgia Douglas Johnson, James Weldon Johnson, and Anne Spencer, the book pairs insightful commentary with selected poems that capture the spirit, struggle, and creativity of the African American experience.
More than an anthology, Negro Poets and Their Poems serves as a historical document of a transformative period in American literature. It affirms the power of poetry as a means of social and cultural expression, giving voice to the aspirations and humanity of a people long denied recognition.
