Ambrose Bierce and Alice Dunbar Nelson: Episode #1

In this episode we look at two very different 19th century American writers. Civil war veteran and short story writer Ambrose Bierce, as well as African American writer and activist Alice Dunbar Nelson.

In this day and age of political division, the politics of these two individuals still have reverberations in modern America. Bierce, his commitment to the Federalist cause clearly demonstrated in his story “The Horsman in the Sky”.

Alice Dunbar Nelson, writing for The Monthly Review, a piece about flowers and death, a story of deadly heart break, is a voice that would not exist without the victory of the union north. The voice of a woman, one of African American heritage, is one that we are grateful to hear, in spite of the oppressions of racism and sexism.

I admit it’s a loose connection, but I find it compelling. Listening to the poetic language from long ago, we get a glimpse of different time and place, authentic voices of the past sharing what is their truth.