Videos
In-Person Event
C-SPAN, American History TV, Book Discussion
During an event held at Labyrinth Books in Princeton, New Jersey, author Gene Jarrett delved into the life of Paul Laurence Dunbar, a prominent African American writer who gained worldwide recognition in the post-emancipation era.
In-Person Event
Friends of Princeton University Library Small Talk
Gene Andrew Jarrett discusses the pivotal role libraries played in the life of famed African American writer Paul Laurence Dunbar. Dunbar was deeply influenced by his time at the Library of Congress, recognizing the union of music and poetry. His later work, "Lyrics of Sunshine and Shadow," highlights a personal study in his home, where he passed away a year after its release.
In-Person Event
'Of course I shall defend you': Gene Andrew Jarrett on Paul Laurence Dunbar
On February 13th, 2023, the prestigious James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions at Princeton University welcomed esteemed guest Gene Andrew Jarrett. The renowned scholar and author engaged the audience in a thought-provoking discussion on Paul Laurence Dunbar's alliances with iconic figures such as Theodore Roosevelt and Booker T. Washington.
In-Person Event
NYSociety Library unveils: Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird
Presented by the NYSociety Library, you'll hear Gene Andrew Jarrett discuss his latest book Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird.
In-Person Event
Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird
In conversation with Herman Beavers, Julie Beren Platt, and Marc E. Platt, President’s Distinguished Professor of English and Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, we welcome Gene Andrew Jarrett, author of the new book Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird. Gene will discuss his new book at the Free Public Library of Philadelphia.
Virtual Event
Gene Jarrett with Tom Morgan, Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird
Presented by the Town Hall Seattle, you'll hear from Tom Morgan and Gene Andrew Jarrett during this virtual event, where they will discuss Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird.
Virtual Lecture
‘The Life and Times of a Caged Bird: Paul Laurence Dunbar and the World He Made’
Hosted by the Hutchins Center, this virtual lecture draws upon a biography I completed about Paul Laurence Dunbar, the first African American professional writer born after slavery. Gene tells a comprehensive yet intimate story of an African American, in Dunbar, who wrestled with the constraints of Gilded Age America, yet who sought to express or mitigate this strife through the written and spoken word.
Podcasts
Podcast Episode #114 – Gene Andrew Jarrett
Biographers International Organization
This week we interview Gene Andrew Jarrett, Dean of the Faculty, and William S. Tod Professor of English at Princeton University. His latest book, Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird, published in October 2022 by Princeton University Press, examines the Gilded Age writer known as the poet laureate of his race.
Aired: December 30, 2022
Full Bio: Paul Laurence Dunbar, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
WNYC: All Of It with Alison Stewart
For the latest installment of our ongoing Full Bio series, we speak with Gene Jarrett, dean of the faculty and English professor at Princeton, and author of a new biography about the poet Paul Laurence Dunbar called Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird. On day one, we talk about Dunbar's parents, who were born enslaved people, and the environment he grew up in Dayton, Ohio, in the 1800s.
Aired: August 30, 2022
Gene Andrew Jarrett, "Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird”
Princeton UP Ideas Podcast
Gene Andrew Jarrett offers a revelatory account of a writer whose Gilded Age celebrity as the "poet laureate of his race" hid the private struggles of a man who, in the words of his famous poem, felt like a "caged bird" that sings.
Recorded: August 22, 2022
Gene Andrew Jarrett | Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird
Author Events Series
The Free Public library of Philadelphia brought this episode to you in conversation with Herman Beavers. Herman talks to Gene Andrew Jarrett about his new book, Paul Laurence Dunbar: The Life and Times of a Caged Bird.
Recorded: June 16, 2022
Let the People Speak
Poetry Off the Shelf
This episode of Poetry Off the Shelf talks about how a Victorian and a Harlem Renaissance poet struggled with poverty and the publishing world — while facing racism and classism — to become widely read and legends to us. I am interviewed along with Dr. Tara Betts, Dr. Elizabeth McHenry, Dr. Joe Trotter, and Dr. R. Baxter Miller.
Aired: December 15, 2020
Toni Morrison’s Impact on the Publishing Industry
Marketplace
This episode of Marketplace dives into the novelist, editor, poet, and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. Many remember Morrison for her work as an author — she penned novels such as The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon and God Help the Child. But she also had a powerful impact on the publishing industry. This episode features an interview with me.