A look back at the cultural and political force of Pulitzer-prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, in celebration of her 100th birthday

Over nearly six decades, Gwendolyn Brooks’ poetry 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. Hers was a unique and powerful voice, negotiating black womanhood and incomparable artistry with a restless literary world.

Brooks’ brand of poetry took inspiration from the complex portraits of Black American life she observed growing up on Chicago’s Southside. Her talent was recognized early, though, and brought her into the fold of fellow artists Langston Hughes and Richard Wright. It also brought her critical acclaim. Beginning with a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1946, Brooks received accolade after accolade. Most notable is her Pulitzer Prize in Poetry in 1950; she is the very first African-American person to receive a Pulitzer.

Brooks flourished through the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and ‘70s as a prolific writer, teacher, and mentor. Her work remains popular on college syllabi around the country. She continues to be celebrated as one of the American literary icons of the twentieth century. A Surprised Queenhood in the New Black Sun dives deeply into the rich fabric of Brooks’ world – a life distilled in poetry and artistic generosity that holds true in the streets of Chicago, and far beyond.