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Gwendolyn Brooks



Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) was an American poet and author, and she was the first African American poet to win the Pulitzer Prize (1950). Brooks was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968, named the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress for 1985 to 1986, and became the first African American woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Brooks’ writings varied greatly in style, but all followed the similar theme of dealing with the hardships of those in her community.

Gwendolyn Brooks
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03:41

The Mother by Gwendolyn Brooks

Poetry recital in tribute to Black History.

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Gwendolyn Brooks, 83, Passionate Poet, Dies

There was more to Ms. Brooks's talent than the ability to write about struggling black people, particularly women. There was also her mastery of poetry.

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04:25

5 Poems by Gwendolyn Brooks

In Remembering Gwen, Nikki Giovanni tells an anecdote about Soul! TV host Ellis Haizlip's reticence to meet Gwendolyn Brooks unaccompanied.

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Biography of Gwendolyn Brooks, the People’s Poet

Brooks produced beautiful poetry that told the stories of ordinary Black Americans in bold, innovative verse, often inspired by the Bronzeville neighborhood of Chicago where she lived most of her life.

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05:55

Gwendolyn Brooks Reads Her Poems Aloud

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Remembering the Great Poet Gwendolyn Brooks at 100

About the life of Gwendolyn Brooks.

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28:25

An Interview with Gwendolyn Brooks

In this edition of HoCoPoLitSo's The Writing life, revered American poet Gwendolyn Brooks sat down in 1986 to talk with Alan Jabbour, director of the Library of Congress' American Folklore division, and E.

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This Week in History: Gwendolyn Brooks Sits for an Interview

Part of a series of profiles on Chicago’s cultural leaders, the Chicago Daily News caught up with the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet just after her poem, “We Real Cool” was published.

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06:00

We Real Cool

This video is a companion to a live staged production of No Blue Memories: The Life of Gwendolyn Brooks, premiering in November 2017 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Brooks’s birth.

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02:17

Living Self-Portrait: Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks - National Portrait Gallery

This highlight comes from an interview of Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks on February 11, 1996, recorded as part of the National Portrait Gallery’s Living Self-Portrait Series.

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Nikki Giovanni