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Sonia Sanchez Reyna Obituary Jul 14, 2026 - Northcutt & Son Home for Funerals, Inc.
Sonia Sanchez
Wilsonia Driver, Sonia Sánchez, Sonja Sanchez
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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
- 1934Born
- 1985Won American Book Awards
- 1993Won Pew Fellowship in the Arts
- 1999Won Langston Hughes Medal
- 2016Won Shelley Memorial Award
- 2019Won Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
- Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha
Trivia
- •Place of birth: Birmingham
- •Citizenship: United States
- •Known as: playwright, poet, children's writer, peace activist
What happened recently
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Philadelphia’s first poet laureate Sonia Sanchez returns to Temple for a reading and conversation
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Officer Sonia Sanchez passes away - California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation - CDCR (.gov)
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Sonia Sanchez poem ‘This is Not A Small Voice’ is now a piece of orchestral music
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