Voices from the Trail
with story teller Louis Gossett, Jr.
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This turn-of-the-twentieth-century wood frame house serves as a memorial to the incredible life and work of Arnaud "Arna" Wendell Bontemps, one of the nation's most prolific African American writers. Map it
Although his family left Alexandria while he was still a boy, much of Bontemps' writing dealt with black life in Louisiana and the South, and as a novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, librarian, and historian he continually opposed the injustices of segregation. A leading member of the Harlem Renaissance movement of the 1920s, he later went on to serve as the head librarian at Fisk University in Nashville, one of the nationÃs premier all-black colleges.
Learn about the life and works of Arna Bontemps, whose boyhood memories of Alexandria inspired many of his literary works.
Visitors to the museum, the authors birth home, discover the immense contributions Bontemps made to African American history and culture. Exhibits focus on his Louisiana background, varied career, and works, including his poetry, short stories, childrens literature, anthologies, and biographies of famous African Americans.
Arna Bontemps African-American Museum
- Address: 1327 Third, Alexandria, LA 71301
- Phone: 318-473-4692
- Fax: 318-473-4675
- Email: admin@arnabontempsmuseum.com
- Website: http://www.arnabontempsmuseum.com
Boyhood home of noted author/poet, scholar, and librarian Arna W. Bontemps, offers a great selection of his works along with many historical photos and artifacts.
10:00 am - 4:00 pm Tuesday - Friday
10:00 am - 2:00 pm Saturday
There is so much to see and do in Louisiana. Here are a few ideas to get you started.