Paul Laurence Dunbar Self-Publishes Oak and Ivy

Paul Laurence Dunbar self-published his first poetry collection Oak and Ivy in 1893, selling copies at the Dayton elevator he operated. The book caught the attention of Frederick Douglass and William Dean Howells; by 1896 his Majors and Minors brought national fame. Dunbar became the first Black poet to achieve national celebrity and commercial success.