Chinua Achebe

(November 16, 1930 – March 21, 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, professor and critic. He was best known for his first novel and magnum opus, Things Fall Apart , which is the most widely read book in modern African literature.

Countee Cullen

(May 30, 1903 – January 9, 1946) was a widely published poet, literary advocate, and perhaps the most representative voice of the Harlem Renaissance. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from New York University and a master’s degree from Harvard University. Cullen’s literary contributions received critical acclaim and significantly influenced an emerging intellectual and creative class based in Harlem.

Audre Lorde

(February 18, 1934 – November 17, 1992) was a Caribbean-American writer, theorist, librarian and human rights activist. Lorde attended Hunter College and Columbia University. She published several volumes of poetry, prose and theory, and provided a critical voice to issues of race and gender.

Arturo Schomburg

(January 24, 1874 – June 8, 1938) was a Puerto Rican historian, writer and activist in the United States. Schomburg was an important intellectual figure in the Harlem Renaissance who researched and increased awareness of the historical contributions made by Afro-Latinos and African-Americans. The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is named in his honor and is located in Harlem.

Phillis Wheatley

(May 8, 1753 – December 5, 1784) was both the second published African-American poet and first published African-American woman. Born in West Africa, she was sold into slavery at age 7 and transported to North America. Phillis was purchased by the Wheatley family, and she quickly learned to speak and read English. After studying the Latin and Greek classics, Wheatley started writing poetry, publishing her first poem in 1767.