Sonia Sanchez

Who is this?

Sonia Sanchez (born Wilsonia Benita Driver; September 9, 1934) is an American poet, writer, and professor. She was a leading figure in the Black Arts Movement and has written more than a dozen books of poetry, as well as short stories, critical essays, plays, and children's books. In the 1960s, Sanchez released poems in periodicals targeted towards African-American audiences, and published her debut collection, Homecoming, in 1969. In 1993, she received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts, and in 2001 was awarded the Robert Frost Medal for her contributions to the canon of American poetry. She has been influential to other African-American poets, including Krista Franklin. Sanchez is a member of The Wintergreen Women Writers Collective.

Career

1. 1934
   Born
2. 1985
   Won American Book Awards
3. 1993
   Won Pew Fellowship in the Arts
4. 1999
   Won Langston Hughes Medal
5. 2016
   Won Shelley Memorial Award
6. 2019
   Won Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
7. Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha

Trivia

• •Place of birth: Birmingham
• •Citizenship: United States
• •Known as: playwright, poet, children's writer, peace activist