On May 11, 1895, a brief notice about Paul Laurence Dunbar was published in an Indianapolis newspaper. Paul was 22 years old and had not yet achieved national prominence.
Paul Dunbar, the poet laureate of the race, made his first appearance in this city as a reader. A splendid audience greeted the young bard and were captivated by his renditions. Mr. Dunbar still lingers in our capital, at once a guest and an inspiration.
"Poet Paul Dunbar in Indianapolis." The Freeman (Indianapolis, Indiana). May 11, 1895. Page 5.
Paul was in Indianapolis to give a series of literary recitals, which received favorable coverage in the press. Newspaper writers compared Paul to James Whitcomb Riley, an Indiana poet who wrote in Midwestern dialect.
A young man in evening dress, with the intelligent face of a cultivated black man, stood before a large audience in the Bethel A. M. E. church last night and entertained it with readings from his poems and sketches. Paul Dunbar is a kind of Riley among his race. His appearance and bearing upon the platform were good. In his dialect pieces, cleverly written and delivered, he showed an intimate knowledge of little peculiarities of thought and feeling which are dear to the hearts of colored people. His audience was appreciative to an enthusiastic degree, recognizing his "hits" with roars of laughter. Many of his hearers could not remain still in their seats. Two big, well-fed men found the audience room too small for their laughter, and went out to the freer spaces of the adjacent room, where they almost literally rolled on the floor.
"The Colored Riley." The Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, Indiana). May 3, 1895. Page 8.
Paul Laurence Dunbar, the "colored Riley," will give an entertainment tonight at Simpson chapel, at Second and Howard streets. On the night of the 21st he will appear at Y. M. C. A. Hall. Some efforts are making to get him a wide hearing commensurate with his abilities and worth. He will remain in Indiana for some weeks, and his literary friends are trying to show him that he ought to make Indianapolis his home.
"Paul Dunbar and His Entertainment." The Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, Indiana). May 9, 1895. Page 2.
Paul Dunbar captured an audience in Y. M. C. A. hall Tuesday night. His selections were quaint productions illustrative of southern character. As a dialect artist Dunbar's strength is remarkable.
"City Life." The Sun (Indianapolis, Indiana). May 22, 1895. Page 1.
In an 1892 conversation with his friend James Newton Matthews, Paul said that James Whitcomb Riley was one of his favorite poets. During his 1895 visit to Indianapolis, Paul met Riley in person for the first time.
For the past two weeks I have been in Indianapolis reciting, and am now on the verge of returning thither. While there I met Riley and found him as delightful as his poems.
Paul Laurence Dunbar to James Newton Matthews, May 20, 1895. Paul Laurence Dunbar Papers, Ohio History Connection (Microfilm edition, Roll 1).