About Anne Spencer

Anne Spencer


The Atypical Woman in a Typical World

Do many people know who Anne Spencer is? Probably not. Anne Spencer was a
Harlem Renaissance poet who actually lived in Lynchburg, Virginia. She
immensely enjoyed working in her garden and spending time in Edankraal, a
small cottage in her garden where she wrote most of her poetry. Though
Anne was a hard worker, she definitely was not a typical woman of the
early 20th century. Anne and her husband, Edward, did many things that
were not typical during the early 20th century, but these "atypical"
characteristics made the couple very unique.

Anne was the "unannounced" valedictorian of her class at the Virginia
Theological Seminary and College (Potter 129). This was unusual because
at the time African American women were able to attend school, but most
did not go to college, much less become the valedictorian of the
graduating class. Though some say that Anne was not the valedictorian of
her class, but rather a shy girl was the valedictorian, and Anne
definitely was not shy ("Anne Bethel"). Anne's intelligence definitely
shows throughout her work.

Spencer did not work simply to earn money; she worked because she
enjoyed what she was doing. According to A History of Women in the West,
the women of the early 20th century were still working at home, keeping
the children, doing house chores, and some even worked on the farm.
When World War I broke out because of the assassination of Austrian
Archduke Franz Ferdinand, most women went to work in factories (24).
Anne did not work in a factory; but she did work at Jones Memorial
Library's Dunbar Branch for $75 a month. Anne was not the typical
librarian hired for this job. Though the library only served African
American patrons, the position as a librarian normally went to a white
person. She convinced the employer that she was qualified by showing
him/her that she was a published poet. She also taught at her alma
mater, the Virginia Theological Seminary and College for free,...