Paul Laurence DunbarPaul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906) was an American writer, born in Ohio to parents who had been enslaved before the American Civil War. He's considered the first influential African American sonnet writer, and much of his most popular work is written i the Antebellum South dialect. Best known for his 1895 poem 'We Wear the Mask' and his 1902 novel 'The Sport of the Gods', he was a leading figure in the Harlem Renaissance. Read More Read Less