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Poems Published in "The Messenger" Magazine

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The Messenger was an African American-oriented magazine published in Harlem, between 1917 and 1928. It was founded by Chandler Owen and A. Philip Randolph, and was strongly associated with socialist politics. Starting in the early 1920s, the magazine moved away from a strict attention to political activism and advocacy, and became a 'full-service' monthly magazine that published a considerable amount of literature. 

Starting in 1923, the magazine changed its subheader to The Messenger: World's Greatest Negro Monthly, and in many ways the magazine served as a more progressive and dissenting alternative to The Crisis through the peak years of the Harlem Renaissance. 

The Messenger is particularly notable for its advocacy of the Pullman Porter strike of 1925 -- the magazine was full-throated in support of the striking workers (overwhelmingly Black). There is even a poem along these lines in the December 1925 issue by Ann Lawrence. 

The magazine is notable for hosting George S. Schuyler's columns, "Shafts and Darts." Schuyler was well-known as a dissenting Arican American voice in the Harlem Renaissance, skeptical of its focus on developing a race-based aesthetics. In the October-November 1925 issue of The Messenger, Schuyler posted what appears to be a parody of the poetry in Alain Locke's New Negro Anthology, which he titled, "Coon River Anthology." 

The full archive of The Messenger can be found at Marxists.org. 

Contents of this tag:

  1. Helene Johnson, "Fiat Lux" (1926)
  2. George Franklin Proctor, "A Poster" (1925)
  3. Langston Hughes, "Gods" (1924)
  4. Matthew Bennett, "They" (1924)
  5. Mattie Mae Stafford, "(Poem within) Colored Women's Economic Council of Los Angeles" (1928)
  6. Edward S. Silvera, "Black Glory Dead!" (1925)
  7. S. Miller Johnson, "The Hasting Holler" (1927)
  8. Edna Porter, "That Yaller Gal (La. 1924)" (1925)
  9. Ann Lawrence (Ann Lawrence-Lucas), "Procrastination" (1924)
  10. Edward S. Silvera (Edward Silvera), "Washerwoman" (1927)
  11. Ann Lawrence, "Raise the Pullman Men" (1925)
  12. Countee Cullen, "Pagan Prayer" (1924)
  13. Frances Smith Brown, "Maiden of my Race" (1927)
  14. Edward S. Silvera, "White Vanity" (1926)
  15. Langston Hughes, "Grant Park" (1924)
  16. Ann Lawrence, "The Span of Life" (1927)
  17. Langston Hughes, "Poem for Youth" (1927)
  18. Helene Johnson, "Love in Midsummer" (1926)
  19. Olivia Ward Bush-Banks, "The Great Adventure" (1923)
  20. Ottie Graham (Ottie Beatrice Graham), "Futility" (1924)
  21. S. Miller Johnson, "For the Shop Gal" (1927)
  22. Edward S. Silvera, "Memory" (1926)
  23. Leathe Colvert, "Night" (1924)
  24. Ann Lawrence (Ann Lawrence-Lucas), "The Messenger" (1924)
  25. Lewis Alexander, "The Tobacco Factory Girl" (1927)
  26. Mattie Mae Stafford, "Ode to the Brotherhood" (1927)
  27. Langston Hughes, "To Certain Intellectuals" (1925)
  28. Leathe Colvert, "Discovery" (1924)
  29. Marie Brown Frazier, "Dancing Fool" (1928)
  30. Will H. Hendrickson, "Dreamer" (1924)
  31. Alexander Seymour, "The Baby" (1927)
  32. Frances R. Marie Smith, "You of Another Hue" (1927)
  33. Langston Hughes, "Steel Mills" (1925)
  34. Leathe Colvert, "A Rainy Day" (1924)
  35. Marie Brown Frazier, "To Langston Hughes" (1928)
  36. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Africa" (1924)
  37. Lewis Alexander, "The Black Pageant" (1927)
  38. Langston Hughes, "The Naughty Child" (1927)
  39. Langston Hughes, "Johannesburg Mines" (1925)
  40. Thomas Millard Henry, "Alas" (1924)
  41. James Edward McCall, "Countee Cullen" (1928)
  42. E. Lucien Waithe, "Hymn to America" (1925)
  43. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Romance" (1924)
  44. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "To Love" (1923)
  45. Leathe Colvert, "Tom" (1924)
  46. S. Miller Johnson, "Variations on a Black Theme" (1927)
  47. Gouldbourne Maynard, "The Changing Tide" (1927)
  48. Helene Johnson, "The Little Love" (1926)
  49. Leathe Colvert, "Weary" (1924)
  50. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Lesson" (1924)
  51. William H. Tibbs, "Awake! Arise! Onward!" (1923)
  52. Leathe Colvert, "Ternebre" (1924)
  53. E. Lucian Waithe, "What Answer?" (1927)
  54. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Toy" (1925)
  55. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Paradox" (1924)
  56. Ann Lawrence, "Roses and Thorns" (1928)
  57. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Pilgrimage" (1924)
  58. Langston Hughes, "Desire" (1927)
  59. Olivia Ward Bush-Banks, "Pulse Beats" (1923)
  60. Leathe Colvert, "Question" (1924)
  61. Langston Hughes, "Nocturne for the Drums" (1927)
  62. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Promise" and "Prejudice" (1925)
  63. Inez M. Richardson, "Thoughts of Someone" (1924)
  64. Ann Lawrence, "New York" (1928)
  65. Robert Whitaker, "Awakening" (1927)
  66. I.C.B. "Thirteen Black Martyrs of Houston" (1923)
  67. Ann Lawrence (Ann Lawrence-Lucas), "Nature" (1924)
  68. Langston Hughes, "For Salome" (1927)
  69. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Friendship" (1925)
  70. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Your Voice Keeps Ringing Down the Day" (1924)
  71. William Pickens, "Up, Sons of Freedom!" (1924)
  72. Robert Whitaker, "Wanted" (1927)
  73. Walter Everette Hawkins, "The Messenger" (1923)
  74. Leathe Colvert, "Drones" (1924)
  75. Georgia Douglas Johnson, "Crucifixion" (1925)
  76. Thomas Millard Henry, "Countee Cullen" (1924)
  77. Thomas Millard Henry, "Three Poems" (1924)
  78. George Franklin Proctor, "Gods" (1927)
  79. Wesley Curtright, "Afterthought" (1927)
  80. Thomas Millard Henry, "Ruthlessville" (1923)
  81. Inez M. Richardson, "Exile" (1924)
  82. Frances Smith Brown, "Seeing the Light" (1927)
  83. Eulalia Osby Proctor, "The Message" (1925)
  84. Blanche Watson, "God" (1924)
  85. George Franklin Proctor, "Bewildered" (1927)
  86. Lewis Alexander, "Durham Streets" (1927)
  87. Thomas Millard Henry, "To a Scientist" (1923)
  88. Langston Hughes, "Prayer for a Winter Night" (1924)