Gwendolyn Brooks

A Kansas Portrait

A Pulitzer Prize winner from Topeka? Yes, few realize it, but Gwendolyn Brooks won that acclaim for her book of poetry, Annie Allen. Brooks was also the first African American poet to win the Pulitzer, an honor which stands at the forefront of many awards which have decorated her long and successful writing career.

Born in North Topeka in 1917, the daughter of a school teacher, Brooks was barely one month old when the family moved to Chicago. From an early age, she developed an interest in writing and was able to relate experiences on black urban life into a complicated but beautiful poetic style. Her first success was A Street in Bronzeville, a book of poetry which brought her rave reviews and addressed such important issues as abortion, war and violent crime.

The 1950s Annie Allen was a study of black urban life in post-war Chicago. In the next 20 years, other successful works included In the Mecca, Maud Martha, Riot and her autobiography which brought international prominence. In 1986 she was named Poet Laureate of the state of Illinois.

Gwendolyn Brooks continued to write poetry and lecture to groups across the nation on the issue of racial discrimination. Brooks received many honors during her life including a National Endowment for the Arts Senior Fellowship for Literature, a lifetime achievement award, and the National Book Foundation's medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters in 1994.

She did not forget her short-lived Kansas roots and visited whenever possible. Brooks died in 2000 after leaving a writing legacy for which all Kansans can be proud.