Gwendolyn Brooks' (1917 - 2000) poetry depicts the many facets of the African American, urban experience.

Poems like "Bronzeville Woman in a Red Hat" and "The Bean Eaters" portray discrimination and poverty. In "The Blackstone Rangers," and "The Boy Died in My Alley," Brooks reveals the threatening nature of racial strife in the inner city.

In 1950, Brooks was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for her book of poems titled Annie Allen. She was the first African American writer to receive that honor.

Her verses are characterized by compression and use of common vernacular. "We Real Cool" is perhaps her most popular poem.

Read Gwendolyn’s Poetry
More on Her Life
An Interview with the Poet

Photograph: Gwendolyn Brooks with Langston Hughes. Courtesy Chicago Public Library.
Information: Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry, 3rd Edition.