Kate’s 2¢: “Revise the Psalm: work celebrating the writing of Gwendolyn Brooks” by Quraysh Ali Lansana and Sandra Jackson-Opoku

“Revise the Psalm: work celebrating the writing of Gwendolyn Brooks” by Quraysh Ali Lansana and Sandra Jackson-Opoku

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as, describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read. I’m just saying…

Brooks writes about her Black culture from various aspects and facets of her time.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was born on June 7, 1917, in Topeka, Kansas.[2] She was the first child of David Anderson Brooks and Keziah (Wims) Brooks. Her father, a janitor for a music company, had hoped to pursue a career as a doctor but sacrificed that aspiration to get married and raise a family. Her mother was a school teacher as well as a concert pianist trained in classical music. Brooks’ mother had taught at the Topeka school that later became involved in the famous Brown v. Board of Education racial desegregation case.[7] Family lore held that Brooks’ paternal grandfather had escaped slavery to join the Union forces during the American Civil War.[8]
When Brooks was six weeks old, her family moved to Chicago during the Great Migration, and from then on, Chicago remained her home. She would closely identify with Chicago for the rest of her life. In a 1994 interview, she remarked,
Living in the city, I wrote differently than I would have if I had been raised in Topeka, KS … I am an organic Chicagoan. Living there has given me a multiplicity of characters to aspire for. I hope to live there the rest of my days. That’s my headquarters.[9]
She started her formal education at Forestville Elementary School on Chicago’s South Side.[10] Brooks then attended a prestigious integrated high school in the city with a predominantly white student body, Hyde Park High School; transferred to the all-black Wendell Phillips High School; and finished her schooling at integrated Englewood High School.[11]
According to biographer Kenny Jackson Williams, due to the social dynamics of the various schools, in conjunction with the era in which she attended them, Brooks faced much racial injustice. Over time, this experience helped her understand the prejudice and bias in established systems and dominant institutions, not only in her own surroundings but in every relevant American mindset.[11]
Brooks began writing at an early age and her mother encouraged her, saying, “You are going to be the lady Paul Laurence Dunbar.”[12] During her teenage years, she began submitting poems to various publications. By the time she had graduated from high school in 1935, she was already a regular contributor to The Chicago Defender.[10]
Brooks died December 3, 2000 (aged 83 in Chicago, Illinois.)
From NLS/BARD/LOC:
Revise the Psalm: work celebrating the writing of Gwendolyn Brooks DB87896
Lansana, Quraysh Ali; Jackson-Opoku, Sandra. Reading time: 11 hours, 6 minutes.
Read by Mary Kane. A production of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Library of Congress.

Poetry

A collection of over one hundred poems, essays, and short stories, all celebrating the life, writings, and activism of Gwendolyn Brooks. Themes explore the everyday experiences of black Americans. Some violence, some strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 2017.