Correspondence, 1979 December

The incoming correspondence files are the largest physical group of papers within the series and span over thirty years of letters from editors, writers, and artists. Letters from the various participants of the Umbra Writers' Workshop of the early 1960s in New York are of particular interest and often contain discussions about poetry and writing projects interspersed with personal reflections. Letters from both Calvin Hernton and David Henderson are long and descriptive covering not only their own writing projects, but also information about what the former Umbra group members are currently doing and their thoughts about the work of Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed, and Lorenzo Thomas. Of note are Hernton's letters in the 1980s, which are long and detailed about his work with Elaine Brown, former chair of the Black Panther Party and his impressions of her.

Of the many friends Dent had correspondence with, the letters of actor Earl Billings are of interest due to Billings' discussions about discrimination and racism in the television and film industry in California during the 1970s, as well as his struggles as an African American actor and stereotypical roles for African Americans. The letters of Edward Kamau Braithewaite, Peter Nazareth, Julius E. Thompson, and Gilbert Fletcher are also very detailed about happenings in the literary world, as well as the activities of mutual friends. Of note are the letters of Jason Berry during the 1980s, which contain long and detailed narratives about New Orleans society and culture and his responses to Dent's literary work. The letters of Jerry W. Ward Jr., also discuss collaborative writing projects and presentations, as well as the daily workings of being a professor at Tougaloo College in Mississippi.

Other topics prevalent throughout the incoming correspondence include letters from various literary magazine editors, such as Alvin Aubert, editor of Obsidian: Black Literature Review; Hoyt W. Fuller, managing editor of Negro Digest; Charles Rowell, editor of the literary magazine Callaloo; and Ester Jackson, managing editor of Freedomways. Dent's professional work in literature and poetry, including the publishing of his books Magnolia Street and Blue Lights and River Songs, as well as his interest in oral history projects are covered throughout the correspondence files. Lastly, Dent's unpublished and unfinished works, such as a proposed book on Louisiana's river road communities with photographer Roy Lewis and "New Orleans Journal" are also discussed by various individuals.

Though not plentiful, there are some letters by well known African American writers, such as Toni Morrison, in her capacity as an editor for Random House, Ishmael Reed, Askia M. Toure (Roland Snelling), Lorenzo Thomas, and Alice Walker. There are also a number of letters from writers and individuals from Africa, including Tololwa (Tolo) Marfi Mollel (Tanzania), John Gomez and James (Jimmy) Mendy (Gambia), and Weky (sic) Patrick Mendy-Ortist (Senegal).

The correspondence from Penelope Brindley and Nayo-Barbara Atkins are descriptive and personal in nature. The correspondence from Michael Goodwin covers Dent's collaboration on the writing of the screenplay Heaven Before I Die and the pursuit of film companies to produce the film. Lastly, there is correspondence about Dent's roll in the documentary New Orleans Brass, which was produced by the National Geographic Explorer television series directed by veteran filmmaker St. Clair Bourne, and written by Dent. The production was coordinated by Kalaum ya Salaam and Bright Moments, Inc. in 1990.