Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (June 7, 1917 – Dec 3, 2000) was an American poet, author, and teacher. She won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry on May 1, 1950, for Annie Allen, making her the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize. She was appointed Poet Laureate of Illinois in 1968, a position she held until her death 32 years later. She was also named the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress for the 1985–86. In 1976, she became the first African-American woman inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Throughout her prolific writing career, Brooks received many more honors. Less