In which I direct my readers to a departed talent
Gwendolyn Brooks, poet and relentless voice, left us twenty years ago today. For those unfamiliar with her name on sight, she was the mastermind behind the oft-misread “We Real Cool,”
She was also:
The first Black writer (of any discipline) to win a Pulitzer Prize
A poet whose publishing legacy began at age thirteen
An industry figure who promoted and patronized Black-owned presses and businesses—even leaving her big-name publisher for one in the 1970s
An inhabitant of both deeply personal and deeply political themes
A generous public-reading giver, translating her own words into eloquent speech
A writer very much concerned with colorism (within the broad spectrum of racism)
A literary celebrity of the ‘40s, ‘50s, and ‘60s—decades with pretty drastic differences if you ask me, or better yet anyone who was actually there
A master of the line break and of subtle, half-buried rhyme
A champion of the Illinois Poets Laureate Awards and Significant Illinois Poets Awards
Re: the above, basically synonymous with the city of Chicago
Readings I recommend:
The “Anniad” (and all of Annie Allen)
“Cynthia in the Snow”
Maud Martha
“kitchenette building”
“Gay Chaps at the Bar” and “Still Do I Keep My Look, My Identity…”
“Strong Men, Riding Horses”
“To Those of My Sisters Who Kept Their Naturals”
“the mother”
Remember her today. Read her starting today. I promise, once you’ve started you’ll find it hard to stop.
Dedicated to Susan Gilmore, through whose eyes I first appreciated Brooks.
Image: from the National Endowment for the Humanities