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Black Opals

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This is a collection of poems published in "Black Opals," a magazine produced in Philadelphia between 1927-1928. The magazine had a small circulation (250 copies printed for each issue), and despite the presence of well-known writers like Gwendolyn B. Bennett, Jessie Fauset, Mae V. Cowdery, Lewis Alexander, and Langston Hughes, remained largely off the literary radar at the time. However, the quality and style of the poetry aligns closely with better-known publications from the late 1920s, especially the work collected in Caroling Dusk. 

Editorial staff for the first issue included Nellie R. Bright, Arthur Huff Fauset, Allan Randall Presont, and James H. Young. 

For the second issue, Editorial Staff is listed as: Gwendolyn B. Bennett (Guest Editor), Nellie R. Bright, Arthur Huff Fauset, Allen Randall Presont, and James H. Young. 

Contents of this tag:

  1. Nellie R. Bright, "Query" (1927)
  2. Nellie R. Bright, "To One Who Might Have Been My Friend" (1927)
  3. Mae V. Cowdery, "Hidden Moon" (1927)
  4. Lewis Alexander, "South Street" (1927)
  5. Lewis Alexander, "Cinquains" (1928)
  6. Lewis Alexander, "Escape" (1928)
  7. Mae V. Cowdery, "Time" (1927)
  8. Nellie R. Bright, "Longings" (1927)
  9. Mae V. Cowdery, "Goal" (1927)
  10. Mae V. Cowdery, "My Body" (1927)
  11. Mae V. Cowdery, "Love In These Days" (1928)
  12. Jessie Fauset, "Nostalgia" (1927)
  13. Mae V. Cowdery, "Nameless" (1928)
  14. Lewis Alexander, "Japanese Hokku Poems" (1927)
  15. Gertrude P. McBrown, "He Made Me Sing" (1927)
  16. Lewis Alexander, "Quatrains" (1927)