Broadsides—single sheet prints of one poem—were the first publications sold by Broadside Press, giving the new publishing house its name. The first broadsides were Randall’s poems, “Ballad of Birmingham” and “Dressed all in Pink.” From this point, Randall conceived of publishing a series of six familiar poems by well-known authors, that would be collectively known as Poems of the Negro Revolt. The series included the first two poems by Randall, along with works by Robert Hayden, Melvin Tolson, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Margaret Walker. In planning future broadsides, Randall became convinced that he could better serve his audience by publishing the writing of emerging Black poets. While some well-known poets, such as Brooks, would appear in later broadsides, ample space was given to the work of new voices.
“I try to make the format of the Broadside harmonize with the poem in paper, color, and typography, and often employ artists to design or illustrate the Broadsides.”
Randall felt it was important to make strong aesthetic choices in the production of the broadsides. His hope was that purchasers would treasure the works and would display them like a work of art. He enlisted local artists and designers to aid in the creation of the broadsides. Like all of Broadside Press’s offerings, the price of the broadsides was kept low to allow greater access to the work.
When the last broadside was published in 1983, the series included a total of 94 broadsides.
