Visit https://www.gwendolynbrooks.net/globalgwen to learn more about the celebration.
Click to WATCH Sherry Williams read Gwendolyn Brooks poem – “To The Young Who Want to Die” 1986 . Sherry reads Gwendolyn Brooks
Click below to read the #GlobalGwen Press Release
#GLOBALGWEN CELEBRATES GWENDOLYN BROOKS’S HISTORIC PULITZER PRIZE
May 1st the cultural community comes together for a unique 70th anniversary even With special recognition from
Governor J. B. Pritzker (Illinois)
And Mayor Lori Lightfoot (Chicago)
Even in the middle of our current “screaming weed” there are always reasons to celebrate.
On May 1, 1950 former Illinois Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks was the first Black person to ever win the Pulitzer Prize in any category for her book, Annie Allen. Brooks Permissions is happy to convene #GlobalGwen, honoring the legacy of this literary pioneer with an online celebration by organizations and individuals reading and responding to her work on Friday, May 1st.
Born in Topeka, Kansas, June 7, 1917, Gwendolyn Brooks was raised in Chicago. She received more than 50 honorary degrees and many other honors, including Poet Laureate of Illinois (30+ years) and Consultant in Poetry
to the Library of Congress, along with her Pulitzer Prize. Ms. Brooks, herself, created and sponsored countless awards to young and old. Her commitment to literature and community is lovingly returned by the organizations and individuals supporting #GlobalGwen.
The community has turned out in force for this epic event. We are proud to include
AMERICAN WRITERS MUSEUM,
FURIOUS FLOWER (James Madison University),
ILLINOIS HUMANITIES,
LIBRARY of AMERICA, THE NEWBERRY
LIBRARY, POETRY FOUNDATION, THIRD WORLD PRESS FOUNDATION, SCHOMBURG CENTER for RESEARCH in
BLACK CULTURE
And the home of the Gwendolyn Brooks archives – RARE BOOK & MANUSCRIPT LIBRARY (University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana)
#GlobalGwen Represents a range of artistic genres and ages with groups like
BRONZEVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY,
BURST INTO BOOKS,
CHICAGO LITERACY ALLIANCE,
CHICAGO LITERARY HALL of FAME, CHICAGO WRITERS ASSOCIATION,
DARIUS COLQUITT & COMPANY,
DIASPORAL RHYTHMS,
GROUND ORCHID,
GUILD LITERARY COMPLEX,
GWENDOLYN BROOKS CENTER (Chicago State University),
GWENDOLYN BROOKS CULTURAL CENTER (Western Illinois University),
GWENDOLYN BROOKS LIBRARY (Chicago State University),
HAIKU FESTIVAL,
Reva and David LOGAN CENTER for the ARTS
(University of Chicago)
SEMINARY CO-OP
BOOKSTORES and YOUNG CHICAGO AUTHORS (Louder Than A Bomb).
And we’ve got room to grow! Interested groups can reach us at info@gwendolynbrooks.net, subject line #GlobalGwen.
#GlobalGwen is not just for organizations.
We invite everyone to join us online. Create a photo or video reading from any book by Gwendolyn Brooks. Post it on the social media platform(s) of your choice. Or respond to a work by Gwendolyn Brooks. Introduce it, then perform it, dance it, paint it, sing it, etc. And don’t forget to share it! #GlobalGwen
