We real cool. We
Left school. We
Lurk late. We
Strike straight. We
Sing sin. We
Thin gin. We
Jazz June. We
Die soon.
~ Gwendolyn Brooks,1959
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) was a poet, the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize in literature,and the Inaugural Poet for Barack Obama’s first term.
“She was known around the world for using poetry to increase understanding about black culture in America.”
“Gwendolyn Brooks wrote many poems about being black during the nineteen forties and nineteen fifties. Her poems described conditions among the poor, racial inequality and drug use in the black community. She also wrote poems about the struggles of black women.”
~ Shirley Griffith, VOA interview 06/02/2012
- On “We Real Cool” an interview.
- VOA 06/02/2012 – MP3 and transcript of a program about Brooks in which she reads from her 1945 collection, “A Street in Bronzeville.”
- The Poetry Foundation: Gwendolyn Brooks
- Wiki Gwendolyn Brooks
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- Gwendolyn Brooks – The Mother (soulbrotherspeaks.com)
Reblogged this on I see and commented:
From my other blog at keepthings.wordpress.com
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000) was a poet, the first African-American to win a Pulitzer Prize in literature,and the Inaugural Poet for Barack Obama’s first term.
“She was known around the world for using poetry to increase understanding about black culture in America.”