Press Releases
PaulLaurenceDunbar.net

CONTACT: Rev. Bill McGinnis, bmcgin@patriot.net, mentioning "Paul Laurence Dunbar" in subject line.

March 6, 2007 - Paul Laurence Dunbar Website Releases New Version Of Dialect Poem "When Malindy Sings," In Near-Standard English, With MP3 Readings

Paul Laurence Dunbar Website Releases New Version Of Dialect Poem "When 
Malindy Sings," In Near-Standard English, With MP3 Readings

The website PaulLaurenceDunbar.net has released a new version of Paul 
Laurence Dunbar's  classic dialect poem, "When Malindy Sings," written 
in Near-Standard English, by Rev. Bill McGinnis, a student and admirer 
of Dunbar and owner of the website.

"This beautiful poem of Dunbar's was originally written in slavery 
dialect," said McGinnis.  "It is perhaps his most famous and best loved 
poem, even though the use of Dialect has been criticized by many, as 
demeaning to African-Americans."

Dunbar himself greatly preferred to write in Standard English, and he 
complained in vain that his publishers at the time would reject his 
Standard English poems -- no matter how good they were -- and ask him to 
please submit poems in Dialect, which they would then publish eagerly.

"But it seems to me that Dunbar deliberately wrote many of his Dialect 
poems in such a way that they could easily be converted into 
Near-Standard English at a future date, when the country was ready for 
them," said McGinnis. "A hundred and one years have now gone past since 
Paul Laurence Dunbar died," said McGinnis. "And I think the country is 
now ready for his Dialect poems to be converted into Standard English, 
or something almost like Standard English. I think this is what he hoped 
we would do when he wrote the Dialect poems." 

Here is the first verse of the original Dialect poem, along with the 
Near-Standard English converted version.

WHEN MALINDY SINGS - First Verse in Dialect and Near-Standard English

     By Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

   Written In Dialect by Paul Laurence Dunbar
      and converted into Near-Standard English by Rev. Bill McGinnis

  MP3 Reading (dialect) by Rev. Bill McGinnis at
    http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/whenmalindysings.mp3

  MP3 Reading (near-standard English) by Rev. Bill McGinnis at
    http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/whenmalindysings-std.mp3


         Dialect

    G'way an' quit dat noise, Miss Lucy--
    Put dat music book away;
  What's de use to keep on tryin'?
    Ef you practise twell you 're gray,
  You cain't sta't no notes a-flyin'
    Lak de ones dat rants and rings
  F'om de kitchen to de big woods
    When Malindy sings.

  
                       
                   Near-Standard English

             Go way and quit that noise, Miss Lucy--
               Put that music book away;
             What's the use to keep on trying?
               If you practice till you're gray,
             You can't start those notes a-flying
               Like the ones that rant and ring
             From the kitchen to the big woods
               When Malindy sings.


    . . . more at the website.

You can read and download all nine verses, in both versions, at our 
website at http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/whenmalindysings.html

Both versions of the poem and both readings are in the Public Domain, 
free for everyone to use without restriction.


Blessings to you. May God help us all.

  
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director
  http://www.loveallpeople.org
    and all its related websites.

February 24, 2007 - Paul Laurence Dunbar Website Releases New Web Page For Poem "Lead Gently, Lord, And Slow," With New Melody For Performance And MP3 Readings

The website PaulLaurenceDunbar.net has released a new web page for the 
Paul Laurence Dunbar poem,"Lead Gently, Lord, And Slow," with an 
original new melody for performance, and MP3 readings.

"The poem itself, the readings, and the melody are all in the Public 
Domain, free for everyone to use without restriction," said Rev. Bill 
McGinnis, a student and admirer of Dunbar and owner of the website.

"This beautiful poem of Dunbar's was inspired by the hymn poem "Lead 
Kindly Light," said McGinnis. It is written in Standard English and is 
perfectly suitable for use in Christian worship services and many other 
settings. I have also written a melody for this poem, so it can now be 
sung, as well as being read and recited."

You can read, hear, and download "Lead Gently, Lord, And Slow," from its 
new web page located at 
http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/leadgentlylordandslow.html . The 
entire website is located at http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net .

Paul Laurence Dunbar was born in 1872 in Dayton, Ohio, and he died there 
in 1906, of tuberculosis. During his brief life, he received both 
national and international acclaim for his poetry, written both in 
Standard English and in Dialect. He also wrote stories, novels and 
political commentary, but he is best remembered for his poetry. He gave 
readings of his poems in many different cities, and his work was widely 
published and distributed in the mainstream media of the time. For 
several years, he was one of the most famous and best loved African 
Americans in the world.

"Many of Dunbar's frustrated dreams for mankind are now coming true, a 
hundred years after his death," said McGinnis. "And now that we have the 
Internet for instantaneous, free, world-wide communication, I expect to 
see a broad rebirth of interest in the life and work of Paul Laurence 
Dunbar."


                       # # #

Blessings to you. May God help us all.

  
Rev. Bill McGinnis
bmcgin@patriot.net

February 21, 2007 - Paul Laurence Dunbar Website Releases New Version Of Dialect Poem "An Ante-Bellum Sermon," In Near-Standard English, With MP3 Readings

Paul Laurence Dunbar Website Releases New Version Of Dialect Poem "An 
Ante-Bellum Sermon," In Near-Standard English, With MP3 Readings

The website PaulLaurenceDunbar.net has released a new version of the 
classic dialect poem, "An Ante-Bellum Sermon," written in Near-Standard 
English, by Rev. Bill McGinnis, a student and admirer of Dunbar and 
owner of the website.

"This famous poem of Dunbar's was originally written in slavery dialect, 
describing a slave minister delivering a sermon about freedom to a slave 
congregation of Christians, prior to the American Civil War," said 
McGinnis.  "It is widely considered to be one of Dunbar's most important 
poems, even though the use of Dialect has been criticized by many, as 
demeaning to African-Americans."

Dunbar himself greatly preferred to write in Standard English, and he 
complained in vain that his publishers at the time would reject his 
Standard English poems -- no matter how good they were -- and ask him to 
please submit poems in Dialect, which they would then publish eagerly.

"But it seems to me that Dunbar deliberately wrote many of his Dialect 
poems in such a way that they could easily be converted into 
Near-Standard English at a future date, when the country was ready for 
them," said McGinnis. "A hundred and one years have now gone past since 
Paul Laurence Dunbar died," said McGinnis. "And I think the country is 
now ready for his Dialect poems to be converted into Standard English, 
or something almost like Standard English. I think this is what he hoped 
we would do when he wrote the Dialect poems." 

Here is the first verse of the original Dialect poem, along with the 
Near-Standard English converted version.

AN ANTE-BELLUM SERMON

     By Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

NOTE: This is Dunbar's poetic concept of a sermon which might have been
      given by a slave minister to a slave congregation, before the
      American Civil War freed all the slaves in the United States.

   Written In Dialect by Paul Laurence Dunbar
      and converted into Near-Standard English by Rev. Bill McGinnis

  MP3 Reading (dialect) by Rev. Bill McGinnis at
    http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/antebellumsermon.mp3

  MP3 Reading (near-standard English) by Rev. Bill McGinnis at
    http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/antebellumsermon-std.mp3


         Dialect

  We is gathahed hyeah, my brothahs,              
    In dis howlin' wildaness,
  Fu' to speak some words of comfo't
    To each othah in distress.
  An' we chooses fu' ouah subjic'
    Dis--we'll 'splain it by an' by;
  "An' de Lawd said, 'Moses, Moses,'
    An' de man said, 'Hyeah am I.'"

                       
                   Near-Standard English

             We are gathered here, my brothers,
               In this howling wilderness,
             For to speak some words of comfort
               To each other in distress.
             We have chosen for our subject
               (We'll explain it by and by);
             "And the Lord said, 'Moses, Moses,'
                And the man said, "Here am I.'"



You can read and download all of the verses at 
http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/antebellumsermon.html

Both versions of the poem and both readings are in the Public Domain, 
free for everyone to use without restriction.


Blessings to you. May God help us all.


Rev. Bill McGinnis
bmcgin@patriot.net

  

February 9, 2007 - In Memoriam: Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

In Memoriam - Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

The first African-American poet to achieve national and international 
recognition.



February 9, 2007

Today is the one hundred first anniversary of the death of American poet 
Paul Laurence Dunbar, who died on February 9, 1906, at the age of 
thirty-three, of tuberculosis, in his home town of Dayton Ohio, in the 
house he had bought for his mother.

During his brief life, Dunbar became one of the most celebrated poets of 
his time, and the first African-American poet to achieve national and 
international recognition. He wrote poetry equally well in Standard 
English and Negro dialect, but he was disappointed that his publishers 
seemed to prefer the dialect over the standard. In addition to his many 
poems, he also wrote short stories, political commentary, and novels, 
but they were not as successful as his poetry.

His marriage to writer Alice Ruth Moore in 1898 was plagued with 
troubles, and they separated after four years -- childless -- but never 
were divorced. His last few years were very difficult, wracked with the 
pain of his fatal illness, depressed by his failed marriage, numbed by 
alcohol, and possibly marred by a nervous breakdown.

Perhaps his most important single poem was named "Sympathy," and ended 
with the poignant line, "I know why the caged bird sings," which was 
later adopted by author Maya Angelou as the title of her famous 
autobiographical novel.

Here is the Dunbar poem . . .

SYMPATHY - by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906)

  I know what the caged bird feels, alas!
    When the sun is bright on the upland slopes;
  When the wind stirs soft through the springing grass,
  And the river flows like a stream of glass;
    When the first bird sings and the first bud opes,
  And the faint perfume from its chalice steals--
  I know what the caged bird feels!

  I know why the caged bird beats his wing
    Till its blood is red on the cruel bars;
  For he must fly back to his perch and cling
  When he fain would be on the bough a-swing;
    And a pain still throbs in the old, old scars
  And they pulse again with a keener sting--
  I know why he beats his wing!

  I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
    When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,--
  When he beats his bars and he would be free;
  It is not a carol of joy or glee,
    But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
  But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings--
  I know why the caged bird sings!


                      # # #


MP3 reading at 
http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/sympathy-iknowwhythecagedbirdsings.mp3 

HTML page at 
http://www.paullaurencedunbar.net/sympathy.html

Poem and reading are both Public Domain

Blessings to you. May God help us all.

Go to . . .

Home page
Biographical Timeline
Featured poems - With MP3 audio readings
Index of Titles
Index of First Lines
"Complete Poems" - One huge text file
Outside Links

www.paullaurencedunbar.net