Black Women as Giants: A Celebration of Gwendolyn Brooks

Acclaimed poets Toi Derricotte, Nikky Finney, Vievee Francis, Angela Jackson, and Patricia Smith come together as an unprecedented collective on the campus of Northwestern University to celebrate and reflect on the life, work and impact of Chicago’s literary giant.

The 10:00 AM roundtable discussion, moderated by Parneshia Jones, focuses on the literary impact of Gwendolyn Brooks in American literature and her social and artistic influence as a cultural and community worker. Ms. Brooks wrote stark literary portraits of the often overlooked and oppressed black life in America. Derricotte, Finney, Francis, Jackson, and Smith will reflect and discuss Brooks’ significance on their personal literary careers, her importance during the Black Arts Movement, and how her work and legacy continue to be a defining voice in literature. 

At the 6:00 PM reading, Derricotte, Finney, Francis, Jackson, and Smith read from their works and celebrate Brooks, one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century. Reception and book signing will follow.

Generous support provided by the Poetry Foundation. Additional support provided by Northwestern University Libraries, Center for Writing Arts, Department of African American Studies, Department of English, Poetry and Poetics Colloquium, Women’s Center, Department of American Studies. In community partnership with the Evanston Literary Festival.

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