Gwendolyn Brooks was born in Topeka, Kansas, on June 7th, but the family moved to Chicago shortly after her birth. Her school years gave her a perspective on racial dynamics in the city that continues to influence her work. Her profound interest in poetry informed much of her early life. "Eventide," her first poem, was published in American Childhood Magazine in 1930. In 1945, her first book of poetry, A Street in Bronzeville, brought her instant acclaim.

She has been the recipient of honorary degrees, fellowships, and numerous awards, including a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. She is extremely active in the poetry workshop movement, but her classes and contests for young people are attempts to help inner-city children see "the poetry" in their lives.