About this item
A retrospective on the cultural and political force of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, in celebration of her one hundredth birthdayGwendolyn Brooks is one of the American literary icons of the twentieth century. Mentored by Langston Hughes and Richard Wright from a young age, Brooks's poetry offered a unique and powerful voice. It served as witness to the stark realities of urban life: the evils of lynching, the murders of Emmett Till and Malcolm X, and the revolutionary effects of the civil rights movement. She earned many accolades for her work, and in 1950, she became the first African American ever to receive a Pulitzer Prize.As an acclaimed poet who took inspiration from complex portraits of black American life, Brooks gained notoriety as a cultural symbol and speaker of truths.
About the Author
Angela Jackson is an award-winning poet, playwright, and novelist. She is the author of numerous collections of poetry, including the National Book Award-nominated And All These Roads Be Luminous: Poems Selected and New. Her novel Where I Must Go won the American Book Award in 2009. Its sequel, Roads, Where There Are No Roads, was published in 2017. Additionally, Jackson was longlisted for the Pulitzer Prize and a longlist finalist for the PEN Open Book Award for her 2015 poetry collection, It Seems Like a Mighty Long Time. Other honors include a Pushcart Prize, Academy of American Poets Prize, TriQuarterly's Daniel Curley Award, and the Poetry Society of America's Shelley Memorial Award. Jackson lives in Chicago.
Author photo: Betty J. Jackson
