Countee Cullen, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1941

Countee Cullen (May 30, 1903–January 9, 1946) was an African-American Romantic poet and an active participant in the Harlem Renaissance. Countee Cullen in Central Park, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, June 20, 1941 From the collection of the Library of Congress and in the public domain: http://memory. ... Countee Cullen in Central Park, photographed by Carl Van Vechten, June 20, 1941 From the collection of the Library of Congress and in the public domain: http://memory. ... Carl Van Vechten (June 17, 1880 – December 21, 1964) was an American writer and photographer who was a patron of the Harlem Renaissance and the literary executor of Gertrude Stein. ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1900 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Friday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Romantics redirects here. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Biography

Countee Cullen was born with the name Countee LeRoy Porter and was abandoned by his mother at birth. He was raised by his grandmother, Mrs. Porter, but it is unclear where the location of his birth was in fact located because he was very secretive about his life to the community. Sources state he was either born in Louisville, Kentucky, or Baltimore. It is known that he attended De Witt Clinton High School in New York and received special honors in Latin studies in 1922.

In 1918, Mrs. Porter died. Cullen was subsequently adopted by Reverend Frederick Ashbury Cullen, minister at Salem Methodist Episcopal Church in Harlem,^[1] and thus Cullen was raised a Methodist. Throughout his unstable childhood his birth mother never attempted to contact Cullen, and would not attempt to do so until sometime in the 1920s, after he'd become famous. For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ... The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ...

Cullen won many poetry contests from a very young age and often had his winning work reprinted. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School, mainly consisting of all white, male students. He became Vice President of his class during his senior year, was also involved in the school magazine as an editor, and was affiliated with the Arista Honor Society.

After graduating, Cullen attended New York University and joined the fraternity Phi Beta Kappa. He once again worked for the school’s magazine as the poetry editor. He is also known for winning the Witter Bynner Undergraduate Poetry Prize. During his undergraduate career, he published poetry in The Crisis, under W. E. B. Du Bois, and Opportunity of the National Urban League, winning prizes from both publications. He also had poems in Harper's, Century Magazine, and Poetry. In 1925, he graduated from NYU and published his first volume of verse, Color. The Phi Beta Kappa Society is an honor society which considers its mission to be fostering and recognizing excellence in undergraduate liberal arts and sciences. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (pronounced ) (February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American civil rights activist, leader, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, educator, historian, writer, editor, poet, and scholar. ... National Urban League Logo The National Urban League (NUL) is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. ... An issue of Harpers Magazine from 1905 Another issue, from November 2004 Harpers Magazine (or simply Harpers) is a monthly magazine of politics and culture. ... University of Utah Student Magazine: THERE IS A WRONG LINK HERE (FROM RICHARD WATSON GILDER). THIS IS *NOT* THE MAGAZINE THAT USED TO BE CALLED SCRIBNERS MONTHLY. The sole student run magazine at the University of Utah. ... Poetry, published in Chicago, Illinois, is one of the leading monthly poetry journals in the English-speaking world. ...

Cullen was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African Americans. Alpha Phi Alpha (ΑΦΑ) is the first intercollegiate fraternity established by African Americans. ... The Greek alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Greek language since about the 9th century BCE. It was the first alphabet in the narrow sense, that is, a writing system using a separate symbol for each vowel and consonant alike. ... The terms fraternity and sorority (from the Latin words and , meaning brother and sister respectively) may be used to describe many social and charitable organizations, for example the Lions Club, Epsilon Sigma Alpha, Rotary International, Optimist International, or the Shriners. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ...

Cullen was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a period when the African American artist community began to flourish, primarily in urban centers. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

After receiving his Bachelor’s degree he attended Harvard to obtain his Master’s.

In April of 1928, Cullen married Nina Yolande Du Bois, daughter of the famous W. E. B. Du Bois. After only two months, their marriage fell apart when Cullen and his best man left for Europe leaving his wife behind. Nina divorced him two years later, saying that he told her that he was sexually attracted to men.^[2] In 1928, the poet traveled to France as a Guggenheim Fellow. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois (pronounced ) (February 23, 1868 – August 27, 1963) was an American civil rights activist, leader, Pan-Africanist, sociologist, educator, historian, writer, editor, poet, and scholar. ... Leonie Adams, Deceased. ... Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded annually by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts. ...

In 1940, he married Ida Mae Roberson and they enjoyed a content marriage.

On January 9, 1946, Cullen unexpectedly died of a uremic poisoning and high blood pressure. After his death, for a few years, Cullen was honored as the most celebrated African American writer. A collection of some of his best work was also arranged in On These I Stand. is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full 1946 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Bibliography

Poetry

• Color (1925)
• Copper Sun (1927)
• The Ballad of the Brown Girl (1928)
• The Black Christ and Other Poems (1929)
• The Medea and Some Other Poems (1935)
• On These I Stand: An Anthology of the Best Poems of Countee Cullen (1947)
• My Soul's High Song: The Collected Writings of Countee Cullen (1991)

Prose

• One Way to Heaven (1931)
• The Lost Zoo (1940)
• My Lives and How I Lost Them (1942)

Drama

• St. Louis Woman (1946)

References

1. ^ Countee Cullen (1903-1946). Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture.
2. ^ Gerard Early. About Countee Cullen's Life and Career. Retrieved on 2007-02-01.

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st Century. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other references

Yenser, Thomas (editor), Who's Who in Colored America: A Biographical Dictionary of Notable Living Persons of African Descent in America, Who's Who in Colored America, Brooklyn, New York, 1930-1931-1932 (Third Edition)

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Countee Cullen

• UIUC Modern American Poetry
• Countee Cullen biography and example of poetry. Part of a series of poets.
• Page on Cullen at about.com
• Page on Cullen at AfriGeneas Writers Forum
• Page on Cullen at Pegasos
• Page on Cullen at Harvard Square Library website