Audiobooks by James Weldon Johnson

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Audiobook

"A groundbreaking novel that still hits with startling relevance, The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man is a daring exploration of race, identity, and the cost of passing in America. Told through the eyes of a brilliant, musically gifted man born to a Black mother and a white father in post-Reconstruction America, this fictional memoir traces his journey through the color line—from the vibrant Black communities of the South to elite circles in Europe, and finally into the shadows of white anonymity. Caught between pride in his heritage and the lure of safety and success in a racist society, the narrator faces a harrowing choice: to live boldly as a Black man or to disappear into whiteness forever. First published anonymously in 1912, James Weldon Johnson's novel was decades ahead of its time—a powerful meditation on what it means to choose silence over selfhood in a world built on racial lies. Unflinching, intimate, and searingly honest, it remains a vital read in today's conversations about race and identity in America."

James Weldon Johnson (Author), Ako Mitchell (Narrator)

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101 Great American Poems: To My Dear and Loving Husband, The Planting of the Apple-Tree, Concord Hym

"Discover the heartbeat of American poetry through 101 Great American Poems — a carefully curated collection that spans centuries of voices. From the reflective verses of Anne Bradstreet to the bold rhythms of Langston Hughes, this anthology captures the soul of a nation through themes of love, loss, freedom, and hope. Tracing a journey from Puritan resolve to the artistic fervor of the Harlem Renaissance, these poems invite readers to explore America's evolving identity across generations and genres. A testament to the enduring power of words, this anthology invites readers to witness the evolution of a nation's spirit — in verse, in rhythm, in timeless reflection. This collection brings together iconic voices, including: Anne Bradstreet Phillis Wheatley William Cullen Bryant Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Edgar Allan Poe Abraham Lincoln Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. Herman Melville Walt Whitman Frances E. W. Harper Emily Dickinson Ella Wheeler Wilcox Ernest Lawrence Thayer Edwin Arlington Robinson Stephen Crane James Weldon Johnson Paul Laurence Dunbar Gertrude Stein Vachel Lindsay Claude McKay Countee Cullen Amy Lowell James Oppenheim Elizabeth Barrett Browning Emma Lazarus Louisa May Alcott Ellis Parker Butler Hugh Henry Brackenridge Matthew Arnold William Butler Yeats William Blake Sara Teasdale William Barnes "

Abraham Lincoln, Amy Lowell, Anne Bradstreet, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Edgar Allan Poe, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Ella Wheeler Wilcox, Ellis Parker Butler, Emily Dickinson, Emma Lazarus, Ernest Lawrence Thayer, Frances E. W. Harper, Gertrude Stein, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Herman Melville, Hugh Henry Brackenridge, James Oppenheim, James Weldon Johnson, Louisa May Alcott, Matthew Arnold, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Phillis Wheatley, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Sara Teasdale, Stephen Crane, Vachel Lindsay, Walt Whitman, William Barnes, William Blake, William Butler Yeats, William Cullen Bryant (Author), Mark Bowen (Narrator)

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70+ Anthology. African American literature. Novels and short stories. Poetry. Non-fiction. Essays:

"African American literature is the body of literature produced in the United States by writers of African descent. It begins with the works of such late 18th-century writers as Phillis Wheatley. Before the high point of enslaved people narratives, African-American literature was dominated by autobiographical spiritual narratives. The genre known as slave narratives in the 19th century were accounts by people who had generally escaped from slavery, about their journeys to freedom and ways they claimed their lives. The Harlem Renaissance of the 1920s was a great period of flowering in literature and the arts, influenced both by writers who came North in the Great Migration and those who were immigrants from Jamaica and other Caribbean islands. The collection includes works by such prominent masters of American literature as Frederick Douglass, Nella Larsen, Charles W. Chesnutt , Paul Laurence Dunbar, Phillis Wheatley, Langston Hughes, Booker T. Washington , W. E. B. Du Bois and many others. Novels and short stories Frederick Douglass THE HEROIC SLAVE Nella Larsen QUICKSAND PASSING THE WRONG MAN FREEDOM SANCTUARY Alice Dunbar-Nelson A CARNIVAL JANGLE VIOLETS THE WOMAN TEN MINUTES' MUSING TITEE Charles W. Chesnutt THE GOOPHERED GRAPEVINE PO' SANDY SIS' BECKY'S PICKANINNY THE DOLL THE WIFE OF HIS YOUTH Paul Laurence Dunbar THE SCAPEGOAT Jean Toomer BECKY Poetry Phillis Wheatley TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE WILLIAM, EARL OF DARTMOUTH ON VIRTUE AN HYMN TO THE MORNING AN HYMN TO THE EVENING Frances E. W. Harper BURY ME IN A FREE LAND SONGS FOR THE PEOPLE MY MOTHER'S KISS A GRAIN OF SAND OUR HERO THE SPARROW'S FALL James Weldon Johnson SENCE YOU WENT AWAY Paul Laurence Dunbar THE LESSON SYMPATHY WE WEAR THE MASK Claude McKay AFTER THE WINTER IF WE MUST DIE THE TROPICS IN NEW YORK Countee Cullen FOR PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR INCIDENT LANGSTON HUGHES THE WEARY BLUES JAZZONIA NEGRO DANCERS THE CAT AND THE SAXOPHONE (2 A. M.) YOUNG SINGER CABARET TO MIDNIGHT NAN AT LEROY'S TO A LITTLE LOVER-LASS, DEAD HARLEM NIGHT CLUB NUDE YOUNG DANCER YOUNG PROSTITUTE TO A BLACK DANCER IN 'THE LITTLE SAVOY' SONG FOR A BANJO DANCE BLUES FANTASY LENOX AVENUE: MIDNIGHT Non-fiction Frederick Douglass NARRATIVE OF THE LIFE OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS Harriet Jacobs INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A SLAVE GIRL Booker T. Washington UP FROM SLAVERY William Still UNDERGROUND RAILROAD Henry Box Brown James Hambleton Christian Theophilus Collins Seth Concklin William and Ellen Craft Abram Galloway and Richard Eden Charles Gilbert Samuel Green Jamie Griffin Harry Grimes James Hamlet and Others John Henry Hill Ann Maria Jackson and Her Seven Children Jane Johnson Matilda Mahoney Mary Frances Melvin Aunt Hannah Moore Alfred S. Thornton Essays W. E. B. Du Bois THE SOULS OF BLACK FOLK Charles W. Chesnutt THE DISFRANCHISEMENT OF THE NEGRO Paul Laurence Dunbar REPRESENTATIVE AMERICAN NEGROES"

Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Booker T. Washington, Charles W. Chesnutt, Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Frances E. W. Harper, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, James Weldon Johnson, Jean Toomer, Nella Larsen, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Phillis Wheatley, W. E. B. Du Bois, William Still (Author), Jowanna Lewis, Mark Bowen, Peter Coates, Rick Walz, Shawna Wolf (Narrator)

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The Great Poems by African American Writers: Selections from Phillis Wheatley, Langston Hughes, Paul

Claude McKay, Countee Cullen, Frances E. W. Harper, James Weldon Johnson, Langston Hughes, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Phillis Wheatley (Author), Shawna Wolf (Narrator)

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

"'The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man' by James Weldon Johnson is a captivating novel that delves into the complexities of racial identity and the quest for self-discovery. Let me take you on a journey through its pages.James Weldon Johnson's emotionally gripping novel is a landmark in black literary history and, more than eighty years after its original anonymous publication, a classic of American fiction."

James Weldon Johnson (Author), Henry Morgan (Narrator)

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A Rhyme A Dozen - 12 Poets, 12 Poems, 1 Topic ? America

"'A dime a dozen' as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English 'cheap as chips' but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit 'A Rhyme a Dozen' as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears. 1 - A Rhyme A Dozen - 12 Poems, 12 Poets, 1 Topic - America - An Introduction 2 - The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus 3 - The Natives of America by Ann Plato 4 - America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates 5 - Bury Me In a Free Land by Frances E W Harper 6 - A Nation's Strength by Ralph Waldo Emerson 7 - To America by James Weldon Johnson 8 - The Crowd at the Ball Game by William Carlos Williams 9 - Harlem by Langston Hughes 10 - Wild Peaches by Elinor Wylie 11 - The Railway Train by Emily Dickinson 12 - The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver by Edna St Vincent Millay 13 - I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman"

Ann Plato, Edna St Vincent Millay, Elinor Wylie, Emily Dickinson, Emma Lazarus, Frances E. W. Harper, James Weldon Johnson, Katharine Lee Bates, Langston Hughes, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, William Carlos Williams (Author), Darrell Joe, John-Michael Macdonald, Laurel Lefkow (Narrator)

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Born in the USA - Exploring America in Poems - The South-East Poets

"Poetry. A form of words that seems so elegantly simple in one verse and so cleverly complex in another. Each poet has a particular style, an individual and unique way with words and yet each of us seems to recognise the path and destination of where the verses lead, even if sometimes the full comprehension may be a little beyond us. Through the centuries every culture has produced verse to symbolize and to describe everything from everyday life, natural wonders, the human condition and even in its more hubristic moments, the crushing triumph of an enemy. In the volumes of this series we take a look through the prism of individual regions of the United States through the centuries and decades. The United States may be many things: the world's policeman, a bully, a shameless purveyor of mass market culture but it also, in its better moments, a standard bearer for truth, transparency, equality and the more positive qualities of democracy. Little wonder that's its poets are rightly acknowledged as wonders of their art. Leading lights in the fight against slavery and for equality, even if the rest of the Nation is finding it problematic to catch up. In this volume we have collected verse from poets born in one of the most diverse and wide-ranging areas of the United States; the South-East. Within its borders are the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. Its huge expanse lets our world-class poets including James Weldon Johnson, Willa Cather, Alice Dunbar Nelson, and Georgia Douglas Johnson explore a wide range of topics and subjects as they share their poetic talents with us on the States of their birth."

Alice Dunbar Nelson, Arna Bontemps, Georgia Douglas Johnson, James Weldon Johnson, John Gould Fletcher, Sidney Lanier, Willa Cather, Zora Neale Hurston (Author), John-Michael Macdonald, Kelly Burke, Trei House (Narrator)

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Arthur Machen - A Short Story Collection

"Arthur Llewelyn Jones was born in Caerleon, Monmouthshire on the 3rd March 1863.Machen came from a long line of clergymen, and when he was two, his father became vicar of a small parish about five miles north of Caerleon, and Machen was brought up at the rectory there.In his early years he received an excellent classical education, but family poverty ruled out university, and he was sent to London to sit exams to attend medical school but failed the exams. He did show literary promise with the publication of the poem 'Eleusinia' in 1821. But life in London was difficult and it was only in 1884 that he published again and was taken on to translate several French works which thereafter became the standard editions for many years.In 1887, his father died. That same year he married Amelia Hogg, a maverick music teacher with a passion for the theatre. He also began to receive legacies from Scottish relatives which allowed him to devote more time to writing.After publishing in literary magazines in 1894 he published his first book 'The Great God Pan'. Its sexual and horrific content very much helped sales.Over the next decade or so he wrote some of his best work but was unable to find a publisher mainly due to the collapse of the decadent market over Oscar Wilde's scandalous trial.In 1899, his wife died and during his long recovery he took up acting and travelled around the country as part of a travelling company. Three years later he was publishing again and had remarried.Re-publishing of earlier works helped anchor both his reputation and his income. By the time the Great War opened Europe's wounds he returned to the public eye with 'The Bowmen' helped by the publicity around the 'Angel of Mons' episode.However, by the late 20's new works had dried up and his back catalogue was no longer a source of regular income.In 1932 he received a Civil List pension of ?100 per annum but other work was not forthcoming. His finances finally stabilised with a literary appeal in 1943 for his eightieth birthday and allowed him to live his remaining years in relative comfort.Arthur Machen died on 15th December 1947 in Beaconsfield. He was 84.1 - Arthur Machen - A Short Story Collection - An Introduction2 - N by Arthur Machen3 - Psychology by Arthur Machen4 - Dr Duthoit's Vision by Arthur Machen5 - The Bowmen by Arthur Machen6 - Witchcraft by Arthur Machen7 - The Novel of the White Powder by Arthur Machen"

Arthur Machen, James Weldon Johnson (Author), Mark Rice-Oxley (Narrator)

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A Rhyme A Dozen - Sleep

"'A dime a dozen' as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English 'cheap as chips' but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit 'A Rhyme a Dozen' as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears.1 - A Rhyme a Dozen - 12 Poets, 12 Poems, 1 Topic. Sleep - An Introduction2 - The End of the Day by Katharine Tynan3 - 'Ere Sleep Comes Down to Soothe the Weary Eyes by Paul Laurence Dunbar4 - To Sleep by John Keats5 - Rest by Richard Le Gallienne6 - Sleep by James Weldon Johnson7 - Sleep on Thine Eyes by Hafiz8 - The Day is Done by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow9 - The Sleeper by Edgar Allan Poe10 - Nupital Sleep by Dante Gabriel Rossetti11 - Song VIII - While Ye Deemed Him A Sleeping by William Morris12 - Boaz Asleep by Victor Hugo13 - Lullaby by Louisa May Alcott"

James Weldon Johnson, John Keats (Author), Kelly O'doherty (Narrator)

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Classic Black Narratives: 12 Years a Slave, The Souls of Black Folk, The Interesting Narrative of th

"Witness powerful stories about the effects and realities of living in a prejudiced society in this audio bundle of classic Black narratives. These selections are both fictional and nonfictional stories of living in a society that devalues and dehumanizes the lives of Black people. Though all four of these books were written over a hundred years ago, the realities within are still important for modern readers to read and understand. 12 Years a Slave - This is the memoir account of Solomon Northup, a man born free in New York but who ended up sold into slavery in Louisiana. This account tells of his time working in plantations and his eventual escape from slavery. The Souls of Black Folk - The Souls of Black Folk was published in 1903 as a collection of essays from W.E.B. Du Bois, an African-American sociologist. This book is comprised of 14 essays, with Du Bois’s overall message being that Black people were equally worthy of the rights of white people. The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano - This memoir is the story of a man born in Africa and sold into slavery as a young child. He was sold between several owners and sent around the world throughout his life, eventually working to purchase his own freedom. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man - This novel follows the life of an unnamed biracial man who lives his early life among Black communities, but upon witnessing a horrific lynching, decides to live as an “Ex-Colored Man” and pass himself off as white."

James Weldon Johnson, Olaudah Equiano, Solomon Northup, W. E. B. Du Bois (Author), David Dear, Janina Edwards, Mirron Willis, Rhett Samuel Price, Royal Jaye (Narrator)

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

"In the years after the Civil War, there was an unfortunate amount of importance placed on racial identity. The focus on the races of one’s parents remained a mainstay of culture due to systemic prejudice and racism, and was a way of continuing to enact violence against Black people. For many mixed-race people, it felt safer to try and shift into white society. It is in this environment that The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is written. In this novel, the narrator describes his life as a Black child and young adult, working his way through the various social classes. He becomes a musician and travels the world as a free Black man for much of his life, but eventually makes the decision to live as a white man after witnessing a horrific lynching. The rest of his life is spent keeping a piece of himself hidden from everyone in an attempt at safety. The story in this novel is fictional, but it comprises a lot of Black experiences from the time period, and offers the perspective of a mixed-race man living in a society that demanded people obscure their true heritage."

James Weldon Johnson (Author), David Dear (Narrator)

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

"One of the most prominent African-Americans of his time, James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) was a successful lawyer, educator, social reformer, songwriter, and critic. But it was as a poet and novelist that he achieved lasting fame. Among his most famous works, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man in many ways parallels Johnson's own remarkable life. First published in 1912, the novel relates, through an anonymous narrator, events in the life of an American of mixed ethnicity whose exceptional abilities and ambiguous appearance allow him unusual social mobility — from the rural South to the urban North and eventually to Europe. A radical departure from earlier books by black authors, this pioneering work not only probes the psychological aspects of 'passing for white' but also examines the American caste and class system. The human drama is powerful and revealing — from the narrator's persistent battles with personal demons to his firsthand observations of a Southern lynching and the mingling of races in New York's bohemian atmosphere at the turn of the century. Revolutionary for its time, the Autobiography remains both an unrivaled example of black expression and a major contribution to American literature."

James Weldon Johnson (Author), Daniel Lopez (Narrator)

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Audiobooks by James Weldon Johnson

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