who died in Louisville in 1940; the identity of his
father was unknown. The poet went by the name
Countee Porter until he was adopted by the Cul-
lens. His biographer Blanche Ferguson notes that
the Cullens, who had no children of their own, re-
garded Countee, who was a solicitous and intelli-
gent child, as a “gift from God” (Ferguson, 11). The
family remained close; in 1926, for instance, follow-
ing his graduation from Harvard, Frederick Cullen,
who received the splendid gift from his church of a
trip to the Middle East, took the extended trip,
which included stops in Italy and France, with his
son. On board, the two had the opportunity to talk
more with fellow passengers ALAIN LOCKE,
Dorothy Peterson, and ARTHURHUFFFAUSET, who
were traveling to Europe.
Cullen excelled as a student at DEWITTCLIN-
TONHIGHSCHOOLin NEWYORKCITY, which he
attended from 1918 through 1921. He was the edi-
tor of the school newspaper, an honor society
member, a senior class officer, and an associate edi-
tor of the Magpie,the literary magazine with which
James Baldwin, one of Cullen’s future students,
would one day be affiliated. Cullen demonstrated
his literary talents while in high school, and his
victory in a Women’s Clubs–sponsored citywide lit-
erary competition signaled his potential. Cullen, a
voracious reader who had already pored over the
Reverend Cullen’s substantial private collection of
theological works, was a regular patron at Harlem’s
135th Street Branch of the New York Public Li-
brary. There, he had the opportunity to talk regu-
larly with librarian ERNESTINEROSEabout books
and authors.
In 1921, he enrolled at NEWYORKUNIVER-
SITY, and he graduated PHIBETAKAPPAin 1925.
Cullen’s college years were extremely rewarding
because it was there that he began to write the ma-
jority of poems that later would be organized into
his first three published collections. Cullen, who
had gained recognition for his prize-winning en-
tries in the prestigious Witter Bynner Undergradu-
ate Poetry Contests, published poems regularly in
the college magazine, as well as national periodi-
cals such as American Mercury, Bookman, Century,
CRISIS, The Nation, OPPORTUNITY,and PALMS,and
had seen the publication of COLOR,his first vol-
ume of poems while still an undergraduate, clearly
was already enjoying a successful writing career.
Immediately following his graduation from
New York University, Cullen began master’s pro-
grams in English and in French at HARVARDUNI-
VERSITY. His graduation from Harvard in 1925
meant that he joined the ranks of a number of Ivy
League–educated writers that included W. E. B.
DUBOIS,ZORANEALEHURSTON, and RUDOLPH
FISHER. He went on to win major literary prizes,
including the HARMONFOUNDATIONGold Medal,
and prizes in Opportunityliterary competitions. In
1926, Cullen joined the editorial staff of Opportu-
nityas assistant editor. He wrote book reviews and
was a regular contributor himself of poems and the
author of “The Dark Tower,” the monthly column
that commented on various social, literary, and
cultural events of the day. The regular installments
began in December 1926 and lasted through
September 1928. Cullen also included moving
obituary notes and tributes to prominent and
beloved figures such as Florence Mills and Clarissa
Scott Delany. He worked with the editor CHARLES
S. JOHNSONand with the staff of Opportunityuntil
1928, the year in which he won a GUGGENHEIM
FELLOWSHIPand married.Cullen, Countee Porter 105Portrait of Countee Cullen that the poet inscribed to
Carl Van Vechten in February 1925 (Yale Collection of
American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and
Manuscript Library)