Eldred Kurtz Means (March 11, 1878 – February 19, 1957) was an American Methodist Episcopal clergyman, famed public speaker, and author.
[1] A white man, he wrote fictional stories about African/African American characters who lived in an area of Louisiana which he named Tickfall.
[1] He was a constant and prolific contributor to Frank A. Munsey's pulp magazines such as All-Story Weekly, Argosy and its predecessors.
[1] His use of black stereotypes, minstrel show motifs, Jim Crow characters, fantastical mimicry and impressionism of Negro dialect[1] made him a popular author with a niche of white audiences;[2][3][4] but the implicit racist message has not aged well.
"[7] Means defended his use of dialect, persons and places as being true-to-type with verisimilitude to a passing and important lifestyle and culture.
Putnam's Sons promoted him as part of its stable of authors highlighting white supremacy over other races.
[2] In contrast, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle wrote: “There are, among the better writers of today, three who can write negro stories with humor and understanding, and E.K.