Anne Spencer

Annie Bethel Spencer (Lynchburg, Virginia) better known as Anne Spencer (1882-1975) was an American Black poet and active participant in the New Negro Movement and Harlem Renaissance period.

Anne was the first Virginian and first African-American to have her poetry included in the Norton Anthology of American Poetry. Also an activist for equality and educational opportunities for all, she hosted such dignitaries as Langston Hughes, Marian Anderson, George Washington Carver, Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., James Weldon Johnson, and W.E.B. Dubois.

Noted theologian Dr. Howard Thurman named his younger daughterAnne Spencer Thurman after her.

Life

Childhood

The only child of Joel Cephus Bannister and Sarah Louise Scales, Anne Spencer was born Annie Bethel Bannister in Henry County, Virginia on February 6, 1882. Her parents separated while Annie was still very young, and she moved with her mother to West Virginia, where she was placed under the care of William T. Dixie, a prominent member of the black community. Sarah noticed her daughter’s quick abilities to become acquainted with the English language, and sent her to the Virginia Seminary to further her skills where she graduated in 1899. Also in this year, she met her husband Edward Spencer, whom she later married on May 15, 1901.The celebrated Harlem Renaissance poet James Weldon Johnson helped to discover Annie’s talent as a poet, and also gave her the pen name of Anne Spencer.

Adulthood

From 1903 to her death in 1975, Anne Spencer lived and worked in a home on 1313 Pierce Street in Lynchburg, VA. As an adult, Anne's poetry grew in popularity and meaning. The Harlem Renaissance allowed her to meet people like herself who inspired her poetry through their ideas and artwork and eventually lead to her work being published. Johnson and De Bois were regular visitors at her house and would often spend the day in deep conversation discussing everything from art to politics. They all shared similar likes, dislikes, and were all strong, independent thinkers. Anne became more and more involved in her local community and NAACP. Although most of her poems remain reflections of her own ideas and thoughts, hints of influence from her work with the Harlem Renaissance began to show. Aside from her involvement in her community, Anne’s most important role was that of a mother. Together, she and Edward became loving parents and raised their three children Bethel, Alroy, and Chauncey Spencer.

Anne Spencer House Museum and Garden

Anne Spencer lived and worked in a home on 1313 Pierce Street in Lynchburg, VA from 1903 until her death in 1975. The local chapter of the NAACP was founded from her home. A garden and a one-room retreat where Anne did much of her writing, are also part of the property.

References

*Shockley, Ann Allen, Afro-American Women Writers 1746-1933: An Anthology and Critical Guide, New Haven, Connecticut: Meridian Books, 1989. ISBN 0-452-00981-2

*Thurman, Howard. "With Head and Heart: The Autobiography of Howard Thurman" Chicago:Harvest/HBJ Book, 1981. ISBN 0-15-697648-X

*Anne Spencer House Museum and Garden [http://www.aaheritageva.org/search/sites.asp?MailingListID=90] - African American Heritage of Virginia [http://www.aaheritageva.org]

*Spencer, Anne. Anne Spencer: Ah, how poets sing and die!. Ed. Nina V. Salmon. Lynchburg: Warwick House Publishing, 2001

*Honey, Maureen, Shadowed Dreams: Women's Poetry of the Harlem Renaissance (Multi-Ethnic Literatures of the Americas), Rutgers; 2 Rev Exp edition (October 25, 2006). ISBN 0813538866

External links

* [http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s_z/spencer/spencer.htm Entry at Modern American Poetry]
* [http://www.lynchburgbiz.com/anne_spencer/ In Depth Informational Website]
* [http://www.virginia.org/site/description.asp?attrID=14752 Anne Spencer House and Garden,Lynchburg]
* [http://www.aaheritageva.org/search/sites.asp?MailingListID=90 Information on the Anne Spencer House from the VA African American Heritage Program]
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