Fenton Johnson (poet)

Fenton Johnson
Portrait of Fenton Johnson published in Visions of the Dusk (1915)
BornMay 7, 1888
Chicago, Illinois
DiedSeptember 17, 1958(1958-09-17) (aged 70)
Chicago, Illinois
LanguageEnglish
Alma materNorthwestern University
University of Chicago
Columbia University
GenrePoetry

Fenton Johnson (May 7, 1888 – September 17, 1958) was an American poet, essayist, author of short stories, editor, and educator. Johnson came from a middle-class African-American family in Chicago, where he spent most of his career. His work is often included in anthologies of 20th-century poetry, and he is noted for early prose poetry. Author James Weldon Johnson (no relation) called Fenton, "one of the first Negro revolutionary poets”. He is also considered a forerunner of the Harlem Renaissance.