Autograph letter signed "Gwendolyn Brooks," quoting the final line of her poem “The Second Sermon on the Warpland," from the 1968 volum "In the Mecca." 1 page, no place, no date. "...In answer to your request for an excerpt from one of my poems which expresses some aspect of my 'philosophy' - 'Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of the whirwind.' (From 'The Second Sermon on the Warpland' - in 'In the Mecca'.)" Together with a reprint small format photo card. Both in fine condition. Letter measures 4 x 6 inches; 10 x 15.5 cm.
Gwendolyn Brooks is one of the most influential and widely read 20th-century American poets. The author of more than 20 books, she was highly regarded even during her lifetime and had the distinction of being the first Black poet to win the Pulitzer Prize. She was also the first Black woman to hold the role of Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now referred to as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, and served as the Illinois poet laureate for 32 years. Her body of work gave her, according to critic George E. Kent, “a unique position in American letters. Not only has she combined a strong commitment to racial identity and equality with a mastery of poetic techniques, but she has also managed to bridge the gap between the academic poets of her generation in the 1940s and the young Black militant writers of the 1960s.”
Autograph letter signed "Gwendolyn Brooks," quoting the final line of her poem “The Second Sermon on the Warpland," from the 1968 volum "In the Mecca." 1 page, no place, no date. "...In answer to your request for an excerpt from one of my poems which expresses some aspect of my 'philosophy' - 'Conduct your blooming in the noise and whip of the whirwind.' (From 'The Second Sermon on the Warpland' - in 'In the Mecca'.)" Together with a reprint small format photo card. Both in fine condition. Letter measures 4 x 6 inches; 10 x 15.5 cm.
Gwendolyn Brooks is one of the most influential and widely read 20th-century American poets. The author of more than 20 books, she was highly regarded even during her lifetime and had the distinction of being the first Black poet to win the Pulitzer Prize. She was also the first Black woman to hold the role of Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now referred to as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, and served as the Illinois poet laureate for 32 years. Her body of work gave her, according to critic George E. Kent, “a unique position in American letters. Not only has she combined a strong commitment to racial identity and equality with a mastery of poetic techniques, but she has also managed to bridge the gap between the academic poets of her generation in the 1940s and the young Black militant writers of the 1960s.”