firelight, dancing, dancing, dancing, and the
strong black arms of a belted chief.”
Hunton’s story anticipates the powerful im-
agery of the poem “Heritage” by Countee Cullen, a
poem in which a contemplative narrator wonders
“What is Africa to me?” and considers the African
myths and American realities that define his iden-
tity. The piece also builds on memorable Harlem
Renaissance–era profiles of African-American life
and examples of local-color writing. This piece ap-
peared just one year after celebrated works such as
CANE (1923) by JEAN TOOMER, for instance.
“Replica” is powerful for Hunton’s focused efforts
to grapple with the liberatory implications of
African-American links to a powerful, demonstra-
tive African past.
“Return of a Modern Prodigal, The”
Octavia Wynbush(1937)
One of several short stories that OCTAVIAWYN-
BUSHpublished in THECRISISduring the Harlem
Renaissance. Wynbush adapted, but dramatically
revised, the biblical parable of the prodigal son.
The story opens as the protagonist, Slim
Sawyer, makes his way home to the South. Some
25 years earlier, he succumbed to the call of the
road and simply abandoned his mother and father
and their simple way of life. His experiences in the
urban North recall the dissolution in Paul Lau-
rence Dunbar’s seminal novel Sport of the Gods
(1901). Slim falls prey to the common vices of the
street and in a drunken stupor allegedly kills a
man. Imprisoned for almost a decade, he is finally
freed, and after a year of “trying to lose the prison
traces,” he begins his journey home.
His reunion with his parents does not proceed
as he had hoped. He assumes a false identity, and
although he recognizes his mother, she does not
recognize him. Mrs. Sawyer offers him her son’s
room and prepares to host the gentleman who is
stopping with them for a night. Mr. Sawyer may re-
alize that the visitor is his son but does not make
this assertion. When the three talk generally about
why the Sawyer son disappeared and what may ex-
plain his silence after 25 years, Slim comes to be-
lieve that he will only bring shame upon his
parents if he reveals his identity and sordid past.
He leaves again without saying good-bye but en-
closes $1,000 in a short note to the mother whom
he will not acknowledge plainly.
Wynbush’s story considers the implications of
migration, the dangers of urban life, and the na-
ture of southern family dynamics.Reynolds, Evelyn Crawford(1900–unknown)
A reporter, teacher, poet, and member of the
PHILADELPHIAliterary circle during the Harlem
Renaissance who published the first of her three
collections of poetry during the Harlem Renais-
sance period.
Reynolds, who married Hobson Richmond
Reynolds in December 1927, was active in the
Philadelphia community. She contributed regular
columns to the PITTSBURGHCOURIER that de-
tailed current social and cultural events of interest
to the African-American community. Under the
pseudonym Eve Lynn, she documented social
events and visits by prominent people to the city,
and she commented on fashion trends of the day.
Reynolds published NOALABASTERBOX, a
volume of poems, in 1936. The Alpress Company
of Philadelphia produced 350 copies of the work
that contained poems on traditional themes such
as nature and love. Her next volume, To No Spe-
cial Land: A Book of Poems(1953) was published
17 years later and included an introduction by
MARY MCLEODBETHUNE. Her third and final
work, Put a Daisy in Your Hair,appeared in 1953
and featured an introduction by the celebrated
diva MARIANANDERSON.
Reynolds, a member of the Beaux Arts Club,
was part of the Harlem Renaissance literary and
arts circle that included BESSIECALHOUNBIRD,
MAECOWDERY, and OTTIEBEATRICEGRAHAM.
Her marriage to Hobson Reynolds catapulted
her into prominent social circles and into the
local spotlight. A mortician by profession, Hob-
son became an influential state legislator and
magistrate.Bibliography
Jubilee, Vincent. Philadelphia’s Afro-American Literary
Circle and the Harlem Renaissance. Ann Arbor,
Mich.: University Microfilms, 1982.
Reynolds, Evelyn Crawford. No Alabaster Box.Philadel-
phia: Alpress, 1936.448 “Return of a Modern Prodigal, The”