This text unfolds a tradition of writing by African-American women from the first half of the 20th century, hitherto mostly hidden. Each text is placed in historical context, with special emphasis on matters of race and gender. This amalgam of prose, poetry, non-fiction and fiction includes the words of luminaries like Zora Neale Hurston and Georgia Douglas Johnson as well as previously unpublished writings by figures like Angelina Weld Grimke, Elise Johnson McDougald, and Regina Andrews, all culled from archives and arcane magazines.