Gwendolyn Brooks - Poet Laureate and Friend

Gwendolyn Brooks has influenced many poetspoems focused on family life and relationships that
with her powerful words and achievements. Herwere the result of her own personal experiences.
poems have inspired millions.Throughout her lifetime, Gwendolyn Brooks
Through her writings, Brooks encourages herreceived many honors as a result of her poetry
readers to maintain their truthfulness in the midstwriting. She received the Midwestern Writers
of pressures. She focuses a great deal on theConference Poetry Award in 1943 at the age of
rights of African-Americans and helping younger26. In 1945, A Street in Bronzeville was published.
black poets write and publish poetry.This was her first book of poetry and provided
Gwendolyn Brooks was born on June 7, 1917 inmany more opportunities for her to become an
Topeka, Kansas. Her father was the son of aestablished American poet. In 1950 she was
runaway slave. Both of her parents were childrenawarded the Pulitzer Prize and was the first
of blacks that traveled to Kansas after the CivilAfrican-American to win the prize for poetry.
War. The family shortly moved to Chicago afterAfter attending the Fisk University Black Writers'
Gwendolyn was born.Conference in 1967 her writing style changed. She
She started writing poetry at the age of 11. Paulbecame an active member of the Black Arts
Lawrence Dunbar was her first inspiration as aMovement taking place in Chicago. After this
poet. Initially, she would set up a picture of himexperience, Gwendolyn Brooks began to utilize the
and write one poem a day while looking at hissmaller black publishing houses, as opposed to the
picture.main publishing houses.
By 1930, Brooks had her first poem published inShe also spent a great deal of her time helping
American Childhood Magazine. Its title wasout at poetry workshops and teaching younger
"Eventide." A few years later, she had thepoets about writing. She continued these activities
opportunity to meet James Weldon Johnson andthroughout her tenure as poet laureate of Illinois,
Langston Hughes, both of whom encouraged hera post she held from 1968-2000, following Carl
to continue writing. Brooks went on to publishSandburg. She was always present at
about 100 poems in a weekly poetry column forcompetitions and workshops to support younger
the Chicago Defender, a newspaper serving thepoets and encourage them to continue writing.
African-American community in Chicago.The Library of Congress appointed her as its
In 1938 she married Henry Blakely, who, alongpoetry adviser in 1985. She died in 2000, the third
with the rest of her family, played a veryand longest running poet laureate of the state of
important role in shaping her poetry. Many of herIllinois.