Literary Legends

This word search celebrates the major literary icons of the Harlem Renaissance. Names like “Hurston,” “Hughes,” and “McKay” represent the poets, novelists, and essayists who reshaped African American literature. Students learn to recognize the figures who gave voice to experience, resistance, and imagination. Searching for these names helps place them in a broader historical and literary context. The grid becomes a tribute to their enduring influence.

This activity builds name recognition and historical literacy. Students improve spelling and memory as they locate authors whose work they may later read and analyze. Identifying writers reinforces contextual understanding and cultural appreciation. The exercise also deepens engagement with biography and literary history, sparking curiosity and research. It’s an excellent bridge to further reading and classroom discussion.

Vocabulary Words On This Word Search – Hurston, Hughes, Cullen, Toomer, McKay, Fauset, Bontemps, Johnson, Wheatley, Grimké, Schuyler, Baldwin, Brown, Petry, Thurman