12 GROUNDCOVER NEWS POETRY MAY 15, 2026 What does Ann Arbor have in common with the poet and novelist, Paul Laurence Dunbar? CISSE LOVE Groundcover contributor I am truly honored to share with readers of Groundcover News about the historical significance the name Dunbar brings to Kerrytown. Before discussing the area’s new asset, Dunbar Tower, let's visit the life and times of the poet and novelist Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872-1906). Dunbar is considered one of the first black poets to earn a living as an artist while establishing a national and international reputation. His 1899 published poem, “Sympathy,” in the collection of “Lyrics of the Hearthside,” is the first instance of the well-known lyric, “I know why the caged bird sings.” Maya Angelou, who has openly given full credit to Paul Laurence Dunbar, is well-known by most people for this lyric in her poem “Caged Bird” (1983), in the collection “Shaker, Why Don’t You Sing?” Dunbar is an example of the American dreamer … a descendant of parents who overcame the oppression of slavery with service and education. He was an exceptional student, the editorin-chief of his school paper and the president of the literary society at Dayton Central High School. Segregation in the 1800s had obstacles and barriers that forced Dunbar into manual labor rather than attending college. Paul Laurence Dunbar pursued his writing as a poet and novelist and was able to earn a living through direct sales, partnerships and expanding into various forms of art. Dunbar’s claim to fame is his writing style, which excellently paints pictures in English and dialect associated with enslaved Americans. After the personal loss of his wife, and illness, Dunbar passed away at the age of 33. The richness of his life cannot be summarized and justly captured in such a short paragraph. All over the country, you will find schools and centers like Ann Arbor’s Dunbar Community Center. At an earlier time in Ann Arbor history, the Dunbar Community Center, formerly located at 209 N. 4th Street, was the answer to surviving segregation. The center later expanded to 1009 N. Catherine Street where it could provide housing for laborers working for the University of Michigan. With the help of other community-centered partners, the Dunbar Community Center’s name was changed to the Ann Arbor Community Center, and it still stands to this day, now at 625 N. Main Street. We commend them for providing valuable programming for children, supporting families with a clothing closet and emergency food, and more, inspired by the contributions of Paul Laurence Dunbar. I must state that as a writer and new resident in Ann Arbor, I am dedicated to continuing the legacy of a meaningful presence and supporting the vulnerable in my community. I feel right at home and appropriately so in Dunbar Towers, the newest residential addition to Ann Arbor’s landscape, recently built on the Catherine Street site that once housed the Dunbar Community Center. If you have strolled down Catherine Street near 4th Avenue, you might have noticed the new maize-and-blueadorned six-story building, and new faces about town. Ann Arbor Housing Commission has partnered with Avalon Housing to create something in Ann Arbor that is a first of its kind, providing project-based housing to artists and some of our most vulnerable community members. As someone who is presently a resident of Dunbar Towers, I can share transparently that this experience is life-changing. Dunbar Towers offers affordable housing to local artists, remaining true to its namesake, and at the same time it has removed some of our most vulnerable residents from harsh living conditions. Residents and the community will be able to build and explore more art in suite L, adding wonderful Paul Laurence Dunbar opportunities to build community and experience creative expression. Both residents and local artists have adorned the building inside and out with beautiful murals and expressions of the iconic area of Kerrytown. Please be sure to visit the murals the next time you are out for a stroll near the Detroit Filling Station, No Thai or the Farmer’s Market. I hope your curiosity is piqued and your imagination even more so. I invite neighbors to embrace the people, bring your artistry to the community space, and please be kind to those new faces. Help them experience what it means to be in Ann Arbor, with the same midwestern kindness and strength we’re known for as one of the nation's most educated cities. See you around town. Gourmet on the Beach: A Tale of Three Rivers MARIE Groundcover contributor Pass the Salt I laid down on just the right spot In the sand Below the spitting mesquite. Until my siesta was disrupted by a hiker passing by. The man offered me a bottle of iced agua. After the Kool satisfied the parch of the blazing summer sand, I noticed a prick more gentle than a pear. My shrink wrapped fruit salad Once nested in stretched arms. Was now the leftovers from a one eared groundskeeper. The Marlboro men arrived One eye on the fly, And the other on a canoe. A single pan between us, As they served me as canapes. The Sault I parked rear end Near the base of Bear Bridge. As I peered into the water, I caught the glint of a tag lodged deep into the fin. I drudged up trees forming an apex lined with birch paper. Dumb and Dumber rolled through in tandem, While on their Bud Light tree decorating spree. Raggedy Ann and Andy dropped by for their lost lure. In its place were the ingredients for castiron peach cobbler. A vet with six wounds enjoyed salmon corn cakes, Sprinkled with shredded cheese and served with instant coffee, Only recently pulled from the depths of cargo. Rock Salt She was captured near the banks of old fieldstone. Sentenced to churning, spinning, bobbin, and cranking While sitting upon a tuffit. Within a view from the train of scary toys, A derailed caboose exposed a tiny gem packed for the rapids. High atop the newly named tower suite, A double rainbow arched through the mist, As it rose from the banks of the arboretum. A pillow fight brought the need for another groundbreaking sight. They rubbed two sticks together as they proofed fresh bread. Then fell into the iris bed.
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