Mark Twain
Real Name Samuel Langhorne Clemens, prolific American writer with 20 novels, 112 tales, and 12 plays
Charlotte Perkins Gilman
American feminist, writer, and publisher known for "The Yellow Wallpaper" and advocate for women's rights
Charles Chestnutt
Black and European American writer, known for "The Goophered Grapevine" and themes of racial passing
Paul Laurence Dunbar
Popular African American author, transitioned to Harlem Renaissance, known for sonnets and addressing African American life
Stephen Crane
Turn of the 19th-century naturalism author and journalist, known for works like "The Red Badge of Courage"
Henry Adams
Descendant of John Adams, writer on art, cathedrals, and friend of Augustus Saint-Gaudens
Sui Sin Far
Pseudonym of Edith Maude Eaton, first Chinese descent author to publish in English in the US
Sarah Winnemucca
Northern Paiute writer and activist, known for "Life Among the Piutes" and advocating for Paiute culture
Claude McKay
Poet known for sonnets and part of the Harlem Renaissance
Carl Sandburg
Writer influenced by Walt Whitman
Amy Lowell
Leading figure in the Imagist movement
Robert Frost
Anti-modernist poet known for imagism and traditional forms like sonnets
T.S
Modernist poet, critic, and editor, known for reforming poetic diction and his association with Ezra Pound
Zitkala-Sa
Native American writer, founder of American Indian Magazine, and advocate for American Indian works
Booker T
Founder of Tuskegee Institute, advocate for African American success through vocational education
Susan Glaspell
American writer known for experimental writing and part of the New England literary community
Langston Hughes
Prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance, known for utilizing television for his mission
Ralph Ellison
Author of "Invisible Man," emphasized individual human experience and values of democracy
Flannery O'Connor
American novelist known for dark and grotesque stories, explored themes of sin and redemption
Arthur Miller
Playwright known for "Death of a Salesman," criticized the American Dream
John Steinbeck
Nobel Prize-winning author known for blending modernism and realism, celebrated rural communities and social outcasts
Zora Neale Hurston
Harlem Renaissance writer who presented diverse portrayals of African American life
Allen Ginsberg
Beat Generation poet known for "Howl" and influenced by Walt Whitman
Jack Kerouac
Prominent Beat Generation writer known for prose and introverted lifestyle
F
American writer known for "The Great Gatsby," struggled with finances and alcohol
William Faulkner
Renowned American author known for themes of freedom and oppression, often set in his fictionalized home county
James Baldwin
Essayist, novelist, and playwright known for powerful prose on race in America, influential in the Civil Rights Movement