Her first collection of poems was entitled A Street in Bronzeville which was published by Harper and Row in 1945.She began getting her poems published in the African-American newspaper Chicago Defender when she was 17.Her first published piece was her poem entitled Eventide which got published in American Childhood, a magazine, when she was 13 years old.After graduation, she worked as publicity director for a youth arm of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).In 1936, she graduated Wilson Junior College which is now named Kennedy-King College.She chose a two-year program over a four-year program in college.

At a young age, Brooks already started writing and knew she wanted to be a writer.

For high school, Brooks attended three different schools: Hyde Park High School (one of the top predominantly white high schools), Wendell Phillips High School (an all black school), and Englewood High School (an integrated school).

She attended Forestville Elementary School.

She considers Chicago her home instead of Kansas.

During the Great Migration, Gwendolyn and her family moved to Chicago when she was only six weeks old.

She was born to David Anderson Brooks, a janitor, and Keziah Brooks, a teacher and pianist.

Gwendolyn Brooks was born on Jin the town of Topeka, Kansas.

Key Facts & Information Early Life and Education

See the fact file below for more information on the Gwendolyn Brooks or alternatively, you can download our 24-page Gwendolyn Brooks worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment. She was also the first Black woman to be a poetry consultant to the Library of Congress. She was the first African American awardee of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks was a well-known and influential African American poet, author, and educator. Download the Gwendolyn Brooks Facts & Worksheets.

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