CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY MONTH ONE POET AT A TIME: JESSIE REDMON FAUSET

ALL THIS MONTH OF FEB. IT'S BLACK HISTORY MONTH AND I HERE AT LIFE IN WORDS WILL BE SHOWCASING AFRICAN AMERICAN POETS.

JESSIE REDMON FAUSET

SHE WAS A TRUE MASTER AT THE CRAFT OF WORDS. SHE WAS AN EDITOR, A POET, AN ESSAYIST AND ALSO A NOVELIST. INTERESTING TO NOTE SHE ATTENDED PHILADELPHIA HIGH SCHOOL FOR GIRLS WHICH SHE WAS THE ONLY AFRICAN AMERICAN IN HER CLASS TO GRADUATE. SHE ALSO WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN TO GRADUATE PHI BETA KAPPA AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY IN 1905. SHE WROTE FOUR BOOKS. SADLY SHE PASSED AWAY FROM HEART FAILURE IN 1961. SHE WAS A TRUE TALENT THAT SPARKED THE WORLD OF WRITTEN WORD.

POEM SPOTLIGHT:

Lolotte, Who Attires My Hair

Lolotte, who attires my hair,

Lost her lover. Lolotte weeps;

Trails her hand before her eyes;

Hangs her head and mopes and sighs,

Mutters of the pangs of hell.

Fills the circumambient air

With her plaints and her despair.

Looks at me:

'May you never know, Mam'selle

Love's harsh cruelty.'

BY: JESSIE REDMON FAUSET