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Waring cuney poems

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William Waring Cuney
May 6, 1906 – June 30, 1976

Waring Cuney, as he was better known among his contemporaries, is often referred to either as one of the minor poets of the Harlem Renaissance or one of the “second echelon” poets of the New Negro Movement. However, among his contemporaries he was considered one of the favorites of the Renaissance group. This is evidenced in part by the inclusion of his works in anthologies of the period, including Countee Cullen’s Caroling Dusk (1927), James Weldon Johnson’s Book of American Negro Poetry (1931), and in the magazine, Fire!! (November 1926).

William Waring Cuney, the son of Norris Wright Cuney II and Madge Louise Baker, was born in Washington, DC. His father, who was educated in Galveston, Texas and attended the Howard University Law School, worked for the federal government until his death. His mother graduated from the Minor Normal School and taught in the Washington school system.

Waring attended the Washington public schools, graduating from Armstrong High School, then attending Howard Univer

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Cuney, William Waring 1906–1976

Poet

Met Langston Hughes

Wrote “No Images”

Poetry Reflected Black Issues

Collaborated With Josh White

Served in the Pacific

Disappeared from View

Selected writings

Sources

William Waring Cuney, or Waring Cuney—as he was commonly known—was a prominent poet of the 1920s’Harlem Renaissance. Cuney’s concise, rhythmic verse influenced black poetry and music, and he pioneered the blues-based poetry of the 1920s and 1930s. He wrote the protest lyrics for one of musician Josh White’s most popular albums. Poets and musicians today still recite and record his most famous poem—“No Images.”

Though it is known that he was born on May 6, 1906, in Washington, D.C., other information about his early life is scarce. He and his twin, Norris Wright Cuney, were raised by racially-mixed parents, Madge Louise Baker and Norris Cuney II, both from prominent Washington, D.C., families. Waring Cuney prepared for a singing career while his brother studied piano. Norris Cuney became a printer a

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Biography

Cuney, Waring
(William Waring Cuney)

(1906–1976)

[Hungarian] [English]

William Waring Cuney was born in Washington, DC, in 1906. He attended Howard University and graduated from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania before deciding to pursue a career in singing; he attended the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and from there went to Rome. Cuney never performed professionally and eventually switched his focus to writing. When he was eighteen, his poem “No Images” won a prize in the Opportunity poetry contest. “No Images” remains a significant representation of the basic philosophy of the Harlem Renaissance and has been widely anthologized and translated; it is Cuney’s most famous poem.

Cuney’s poems of the middle and late 1930s were recorded by Josh White as “Southern Exposure,” and others were set to music by Al Haig and Nina Simone.  During World War II, Cuney served in the South Pacific as a technical sergeant in the army, where he earned three bronze battle stars. After the war, Cuney made his home in the Bronx, and in 1960, Cuney

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