The Harlem Renaissance, a social and intellectual transformation of black culture, primarily involved advances in literature for African Americans beginning around the turn of the century. It brought the beginning of national recognition from the public for black writers. Critics and publishers also started taking African American writers more seriously. As World War I came to an end, writers began telling of the everyday black lifestyle in America and were committed to describing black culture artistically through their work. The contributions made to the literary world of the 1920s were very diverse. This appealed to both black and white readers alike. The Harlem Renaissance was brought to an end when many writers left Harlem or stopped writing when the Depression forced them to take jobs that would offer better means of financial support.

Writers of the Harlem Renaissance