Gwendolyn Brooks

Gwendolyn Brooks was an American poet, author, and educator. She was born in Topeka, Kansas, in 1917, and grew up in Chicago. Brooks began writing poetry at an early age, and her first book, 'A Street in Bronzeville', was published in 1945. She went on to publish more than 20 books of poetry, as well as several children's books and essays. Brooks was a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement, and her work often dealt with themes of race, identity, and social justice. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1950, making her the first African American to win a Pulitzer Prize. Brooks died in Chicago in 2000.