This powerful compilation of African-American literature through the centuries focuses on classic works by notable authors from Frederick Douglass to W. E. B. DuBois. The poetry of 18th-century writers Phillis Wheatly and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave join a chorus of eloquent voices chronicling the black experience in America. My Soul Has Grown Deep includes such landmark works as A Red Record by Ida B. Wells, a Harlem Renaissance writer; Lyrics of a Lowly Life by the prolific playwright, poet, and novelist Paul Lawrence Dunbar; Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington; and The Autobiography of Jack Johnson: In the Ring and Out by the heavyweight boxing champion. Each writer is introduced in an informative biographical essay by editor John Edgar Wideman. New York Times bestselling author John Edgar Wideman is the first author to receive two PEN/Faulkner awards. He has written 13 books, including Brothers and Keepers and Philadelphia Fire.