Finding Aid to the Gwendolyn Brooks Papers, 1917-2000, bulk 1950-1989
Finding Aid written by Jennifer Davis
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California, 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
© 2006
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Finding Aid to the Gwendolyn Brooks Papers, 1917-2000, bulk 1950-1989
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2001/83 z
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, California
- Finding Aid Written By:
- Jennifer Davis
- Date Completed:
-
October 2006
© 2006 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Gwendolyn Brooks papers
Date (inclusive): 1917-2000,
Date (bulk): bulk 1950-1989
Collection Number: BANC MSS 2001/83 z
Creator:
Brooks, Gwendolyn, 1917-2000
Extent:
Number of containers: 15 cartons, 1 box, 3 oversize boxes
Linear feet: 23.75 linear ft.
Repository: The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, California 94720-6000
Abstract:
The Gwendolyn Brooks Papers, 1917-2000 (bulk 1950-1989), document her personal life and career as a distinguished poet, Pulitzer
Prize winner, and Poet Laureate of Illinois. The papers are divided into seven series: Correspondence, Writings, Professional
Papers, Personal Papers, Clippings, Writings by Others, and Miscellaneous and consist of correspondence, manuscripts, flyers,
announcements, scrapbooks, family papers, clippings, writings by others, and miscellaneous materials.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English.
Physical Location: Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information
on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head
of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 94270-6000. Consent is given on behalf of The
Bancroft Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission from the copyright
owner. Such permission must obtained from the copyright owner. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research
and educational purposes.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Gwendolyn Brooks Papers, BANC MSS 2001/83 z, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
Alternate Forms Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Related Collections
Gwendolyn Brooks photograph collection, BANC PIC 2001.201--PIC
Separated Material
Printed materials have been transferred to the book collection of The Bancroft Library.
Photographs have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.
Objects have been transferred to the Pictorial Collections of The Bancroft Library.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Brooks, Gwendolyn, 1917--Archives
University of Chicago
City Colleges of Chicago
African American women poets--20th century
American poetry--20th century--African American authors
American poets--20th century
African American women poets--Illinois--Chicago
African American poets--20th century
African Americans--Illinois--Chicago
Arts, American--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
Chicago (Ill.)--In literature
Blakely, Henry
Blakely, Nora Brooks
Brooks, Keziah C
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The Gwendolyn Brooks Papers were purchased by The Bancroft Library in October 2000.
Accruals
No additions are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Dean Smith and Jennifer Davis; completed in 2006.
Biographical Information
At the age of thirty-three, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. Her legacy
as one of the most influential poets of the Twentieth Century endures. Richard Wright, an early advocate of Brooks, once said
that her poetry captured "the pathos of petty destinies, the whimper of the wounded, the tiny incidents that plague the lives
of the desperately poor, and the problems of common prejudice" (Watkins, 2000,
The New York Times).
Brooks was born on June 7, 1917 in Topeka Kansas. Shortly after her birth, Brooks's parents, David and Keziah Brooks, relocated
the family to South Side Chicago. She remained in South Side until her death. At a very early age, Brooks began to write
poetry. When she was thirteen years old her first poem was published in the
American Childhood Magazine. At a crucial point in her creative development, Brooks met Langston Hughes and James Weldon Johnson, both of whom encouraged
her poetry writing. She was educated at several white, black, and integrated high schools in Chicago. During her school years,
Brooks prolifically published her poems, largely as a regular contributor to the "Lights and Shadows" poetry column of the
Chicago Defender. In 1936, Brooks graduated from Wilson Junior College.
In 1938, Brooks and Henry Blakely were married. Their first child, Henry Jr., was born in 1940 and their daughter Nora was
born in 1951. During this period, Brooks began to win critical acclaim for her poetry. She won the 1943 Midwestern Writer's
Conference Poetry Award. Shortly thereafter,
A Street in Bronzeville, her first book of poetry, was published by Harper and Row (1945). The instant critical acclaim this book received was followed
by her first Guggenheim Fellowship award and a nomination to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 1950, her second
published collection,
Annie Allen, won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry.
Brooks went on to publish additional books of poetry, a novel, an autobiography, essays, reviews, speeches, and a play. Following
her Pulitzer Prize, she issued
Maud Martha (1953), a novel that was praised by reviewers but did not gain wide readership.
Bronzeville Boys and Girls (1956) a collection of children's poetry,
The Bean Eaters (1960), and
Selected Poems (1963) followed the novel. One of her most popular volumes of poetry,
We Real Cool, was released in 1966. With Broadside Press, a small black publisher founded by poet Dudley Randall, Brooks published
Riot (1969),
Family Pictures (1970), and her autobiography,
Report from Part One (1972).
Ms. Brooks's teaching career began at Columbia College in Chicago in 1963. Over the course of her career, she taught creative
writing at many different institutions including: Northeastern Illinois State College, Elmhurst College, Columbia University,
City College of New York, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison.
In 1967, Brooks became involved in the Black Arts movement while attending the Fisk University Writers Conference in Nashville.
At this point, she dropped her publisher Harper and Row to work with smaller publishing houses. While her poems always addressed
social issues, her writing became markedly more concerned with the black experience in the 1960s.
Brooks succeeded Carl Sandburg as poet laureate of Illinois in 1968 and remained in this post until her death. Her dedication
to this role and to bringing poetry to the people of Illinois was deep. Brooks gave many public readings and was an active
visitor to Chicago schools and prisons. Her poetry workshops and contests for young people were meant to inspire and teach
children that poetry can be a part of every day life.
Over the course of her career, Brooks received many honors. In 1976, she became the first black woman to be elected to the
National Institute of Arts and Letters. The Library of Congress invited her to serve as poetry consultant in 1985. In 1994,
the National Endowment for the Humanities named her its Jefferson Lecturer, the government's highest honor for achievement
in the humanities. Brooks received honorary doctorate degrees from over 50 colleges and universities in recognition of her
contribution to literature.
Brooks died in her home in Chicago on December 3, 2000.
Bibliography of Works by Gwendolyn Brooks
A Street in Bronzeville. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1945.
Annie Allen. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1949.
Maud Martha. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1953.
Bronzeville Boys and Girls. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1956.
The Bean Eaters. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960.
Selected Poems. New York: Harper & Row, 1963.
We Real Cool. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1966.
The Wall. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1967.
In the Mecca. New York: Harper & Row, 1968.
Riot. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1969.
Family Pictures. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1970.
Aloneness. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1971.
The World of Gwendolyn Brooks. New York: Harper & Row, 1971.
Black Steel: Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1971.
A Broadside Treasury. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1971.
Jump Bad. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1971.
Report from Part One. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1972.
The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves, or What You Really Are, You Really Are. Chicago: Third World Press, 1974.
Beckonings. Detroit: Broadside Press, 1975.
Primer for Blacks. Chicago: Black Position Press, 1980.
To Disembark. Chicago: Third World Press, 1981.
Young Poets Primer. Chicago: Brooks Press, 1981.
Mayor Harold Washington and Chicago, the I Will City. Chicago: Brooks Press, 1983.
Very Young Poets. Chicago: Third World Press, 1983.
Blacks. Chicago: Third World Press, 1987.
Gottschalk and the Grande Tarantelle
. Chicago, The David Company, 1988.
Winnie. Chicago: The David Company, 1988.
Published Works on Gwendolyn Brooks
Bloom, Harold.
Gwendolyn Brooks. Philadelphia: Chelsea House Publishers, 2005.
Bolden, B. J.
Urban Rage in Bronzeville: Social Commentary in the Poetry of Gwendolyn Brooks, 1945-1960. Chicago: Third World Press, 1999.
Gayles, Gloria W.
Conversations with Gwendolyn Brooks. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2003.
Hill, Christine M.
Gwendolyn Brooks: "poetry is life distilled." Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers, 2005.
Kent, George E.
A Life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1990.
Madhubuti, Haki R., ed. Say
That the River Turns: The Impact of Gwendolyn Brooks. Chicago: Third World Press, 1987.
Melhem, D. H.
Gwendolyn Brooks: Poetry and the Heroic Voice. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 1987.
Miller, R. Baxter.
Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks: A Reference Guide. Boston: G. K.Hall, 1978.
Mootry, Maria K., and Smith, Gary.
A Life Distilled: Gwendolyn Brooks, Her Poetry and Fiction. Urbana: UP of Illinois, 1987.
Shaw, Harry B.
Gwendolyn Brooks. Boston: Twayne, 1980.
Wright, Stephen Caldwell.
The Chicago Collective: Poems for and Inspired by Gwendolyn Brooks. Sanford, Florida: Christopher-Burghardt, 1990.
Wright, Stephen Caldwell.
On Gwendolyn Brooks: Reliant Contemplation. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press, 1996.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Gwendolyn Brooks Papers, 1917-2000 (bulk 1950-1989), document her personal life and career as a distinguished poet, Pulitzer
Prize winner, and Poet Laureate of Illinois. The papers are divided into seven series: Correspondence, Writings, Professional
Papers, Personal Papers, Clippings, Writings by Others, and Miscellaneous and consist of correspondence, manuscripts, flyers,
announcements, scrapbooks, family papers, clippings, writings by others, and miscellaneous materials.
Correspondence, Series 1, includes letters and greeting cards from family, friends, and literary colleagues. The letters illuminate
her involvement in the literary community; correspondents include Houston A. Baker, Jack Conroy, Paul Engle, Etheridge Knight,
Don Lee (Haki Madhubuti), and Dudley Randall.
Writings, Series 2, include poems, essays, reviews, and notes in manuscript and typescript form. Essays reflect Brooks's concerns
with subjects such as black writers and the craft of poetry. The collection also contains some handwritten notes, a Langston
Hughes memorial written by Brooks, and several articles about her writing.
Professional Papers, Series 3, include awards, honors, posters, and flyers announcing readings by Brooks as well as correspondence
relating to speaking engagements. The personal papers, Series 4, include records, miscellany, and family papers of her mother
Keziah Brooks, husband Henry Blakely, and daughter Nora Blakely.
Clippings, Series 5, Brooks's success as a poet, teacher, and speaker is well documented in the clippings files in addition
to her interest in Black rights, writing and writers, Chicago, and many other subjects.
Writings by Others, Series 6, includes publications that she collected in manuscript and published form written by poets,
writers, school children, and prisoners. The final series, Series 7, Miscellaneous, includes diverse published materials and
ephemera that Brooks collected from individuals and organizations.
Container List
Series 1
Correspondence
1941-1989
Physical Description:
Cartons 1-2; Carton 14
Arrangement
Arranged into three subseries: 1.1 Family Correspondence, 1.2 General Correspondence, and 1.3 Greeting Cards.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence with family, friends, and colleagues.
1.1
Family Correspondence
1950-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 1-17
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes correspondence and greeting cards to and from family members: Keziah C. Brooks, mother; Henry Blakely, husband; Henry
Blakely, Jr., son; Nora Blakely, daughter; Raymond Brooks, brother; Robert B. Brooks, uncle; Beulah Wims, aunt; Aunt Ella;
Aunt Eppie; and Aunt Lizzie.
Correspondence to Brooks's mother, Keziah, includes postcards from the author and letters from Brooks's daughter, Nora. Letters
to Henry present a view of his involvement in the Chicago writing community; he was regularly invited to local writing events
and received invitations to write reviews for literary magazines. The correspondence to and from Brooks's children, Henry
Jr. and Nora, include greeting cards, letters, Henry Jr.'s wedding invitation, and documentation regarding his enlistment
in the Marine Corps.
Carton 1, Folder 1
Brooks, Gwendolyn, outgoing
1976-1984,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 2
Brooks, Keziah Wims, outgoing
1961-1972,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 3
Brooks, Keziah Wims, incoming
1959-1977,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 4
Blakely, Henry, incoming
undated
Carton 1, Folder 5
Blakely, Henry / From Others
1975-1989
Carton 1, Folder 6
Blakely, Henry Jr.
1961-1982,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 7
Blakely, Nora, outgoing
1967,
1976,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 8
Blakely, Nora, incoming
[1955]-1980
Carton 1, Folder 9
Blakely, Nora, school correspondence
1952-1968,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 10
Brooks, Raymond Sr.
1973-1974,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 12
Beulah Wims
1970-1980,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 13
Aunt Ella
1950-1960,
undated
1.2
General Correspondence
1941-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 1, folders 18-61; Carton 2
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by surname with A to Z miscellaneous files, fan mail, and prison correspondence filed at the end of
the subseries.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of correspondence of both personal and professional nature documenting Brooks's involvement in the writing community,
the impact she had on school children and prisoners, her commitment to the rights of her fellow African Americans, and her
dedication to her role as a poet.
Included are letters from literary colleagues including Johari Amini, Bruce Bennett Brown, Jack Conroy, Don Lee, and Dudley
Randall. Professional correspondence consists of letters from the
Chicago Sun, The Guggenheim Foundation, Brooks's publisher Harper and Row, and more. Editorial letters from Brooks's publisher at Harper
and Row, Elizabeth Lawrence, are of particular interest. Correspondence and clippings from the many magazines that published
Brooks's poems are also included.
Brooks was regularly in touch with influential members of the writing community including: Paul Engle of the Iowa Writer's
workshop; Alice Browning, founder of the International Black Writer's Conference; Hoyt Fuller, publisher of the magazines
Negro Digest and
Black World; and Dudley Randall, poet and founder of Broadside Press, which, in addition to Brooks's work, published the writings of
Don Lee, Nikki Giovanni, Etheridge Knight, and many other prominent black writers.
Also included within the general correspondence files are materials relating to Brooks's involvement in the black community
and black rights. There is a Langston Hughes photograph and memorial service announcement from the DuSable Museum of African
American History. A telegram from Reverend Jesse Jackson pleads with Brooks to contribute "to the uplifting of the black people."
Many files contain clippings, poetry written by the correspondent, and various other materials. At the end of the General
Correspondence series, miscellaneous A to Z files include letters from African American organizations, universities, Illinois
and Chicago schools, libraries, and many other groups and individuals.
The series concludes with a collection of fan mail, letters from school children, prisoner correspondence, and solicitations.
This material illustrates the deep effect that Brooks's poems and readings had on her audiences.
Carton 1, Folder 19
Baker, Houston A. Jr.
1980
Carton 1, Folder 20
Bragg, Robert H.
1943-1944
Carton 1, Folder 21
Brown, Abena Joan
1976-1981
Carton 1, Folder 22
Brown, Bruce Bennett
1966-1972
Carton 1, Folder 23
Browning, Alice C.
1979-1981,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 24
Chicago Daily News
1950-1958,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 25
Chicago Sun-Times
1961-1976,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 26
Chicago Tribune
1961-1980
Carton 1, Folder 27
Cisneros, Sandra
1980-1984
Carton 1, Folder 29
DuSable Museum of African American History
1967-1980,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 30
Edward B. Marks Music Corporation
1962
Carton 1, Folder 33
Fuller, Hoyt W.
1964-1981
Carton 1, Folder 34-38
Harper & Row Publishers
1944-1983
Carton 1, Folder 39
Hirsch High School
1956-1958
Carton 1, Folder 40
Holiday (Magazine)
1950-1951
Carton 1, Folder 41
Jaffe, Daniel Freeman
1971,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 42
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation
1958-1968
Carton 1, Folder 44
Kendrick, Dolores
1968-1981
Carton 1, Folder 45
Knight, Etheridge
1968,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 46
Library of Congress
1969-1981
Carton 1, Folder 48
Madhubuti, Haki R. (Don L. Lee)
1968-1989,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 50
Merrill, Ernest S.
1970-1974,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 51
Metropolitan Community Church
1965-1980,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 53
Pierce, Edith Lovejoy
1948-1976
Carton 1, Folder 54
Poetry (Magazine)
1950-1969,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 55
Randall, Dudley
1968-1981,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 56
Randall, Dudley / Broadside Press
1969-1975,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 57
Roseliep, Raymond
1967-1971
Carton 1, Folder 58
Roslyn Targ Literary Agency, Inc.
1941-1982
Carton 1, Folder 59
Stroman, Prilla
1980,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 60
University of Wisconsin, Madison
1968-1972,
undated
Carton 1, Folder 61
Whitfield, Vantile
1978-1979,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 1
A Miscellaneous
1950-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 2
Ba-Be Miscellaneous
1956-1980,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 3
Bi-Bu Miscellaneous
1952-1988,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 4
C Miscellaneous
1951-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 5
D Miscellaneous
1944-1980,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 6
E Miscellaneous
1962-1967,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 7
F Miscellaneous
1952-1980,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 8
G Miscellaneous
1955-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 9
H Miscellaneous
1958-1980,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 10
I Miscellaneous
1965-1981
Carton 2, Folder 11
J Miscellaneous
1951-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 12
K Miscellaneous
1950-1982,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 13
L Miscellaneous
1958-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 14
M Miscellaneous
1958-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 15
N Miscellaneous
1950-1982,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 16
O Miscellaneous
1968-1978,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 17
P Miscellaneous
1959-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 18
Q Miscellaneous
1968,
1979
Carton 2, Folder 19
R Miscellaneous
1955-1989,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 20
Sa-Sm Miscellaneous
1950-1984,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 21
So-Sw Miscellaneous
1950-1989,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 22
T Miscellaneous
1952-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 23
U-V Miscellaneous
1950-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 24
W Miscellaneous
1950-1988,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 25
Y-Z Miscellaneous
1957,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 26
No surname
1949-1981,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 27
No surname - Portia
1970-1972
Carton 2, Folder 28
Unidentified
1941,
1980,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 29-32
Fan mail
1950-1989,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 33
Letters from school children - on
We Real Cool
1972,
1980,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 34
Letters from school children - Overbrook Elementary, Philadelphia, PA
1972
Carton 2, Folder 35-37
Letters from school children - miscellaneous
1969-1988,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 38
Prisoner correspondence
1970-1980,
undated
Carton 2, Folder 39
Solicitations
1958,
undated
1.3
Greeting Cards
1950-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 14
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically by occasion.
Scope and Content Note
Includes greeting cards received from family, friends, and other correspondents, many of whom are represented in the General
Correspondence series. A bulk of the sympathy cards were received upon the death of Brooks's mother in March, 1978. Note that
some greeting cards contain full letters, although the bulk are simply signed.
Carton 14, Folder 1
Birthday
1974-1980,
undated
Carton 14, Folder 2-13
Christmas
1950-1984,
undated
Series 2
Writings
1933-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 3; Oversize Boxes 1, 2
Arrangement
Further divided into six subseries: 1.1 Poetry, 1.2 Essays, 1.3 Plays and Screenplays, 1.4 Speeches, 1.5 Reviews, and 1.6
Miscellaneous.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of manuscripts, typescripts, notes, notebooks, and correspondence.
2.1
Poetry
1933-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 1-31; Oversize Box 2, folder 5
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically; miscellaneous fragments filed at the end of the subseries.
Scope and Content Note
Contains poems by Brooks in manuscript and typescript, and published as reprints and bookmarks. Also included is a notebook
entitled
A Critique in Rhyme that Brooks composed at the age of 16, which contains a school writing assignment entirely in rhyme. There are also book
jackets for
Bronzeville Boys and Girls and
Gottschalk and the Grande Tarantelle. The series concludes with a collection of typescript poems that represent over twenty years of writing, and a full galley
proof of Brooks's
In the Mecca.
Carton 3, Folder 1
Astonishment of Heart
circa 1968
Carton 3, Folder 2
Books Feed and Cure and Chortle and Collide
1969
Carton 3, Folder 3
Brooke Maj of Hawthorn South
undated
Carton 3, Folder 4
Children of the Poor
undated
Carton 3, Folder 6
A Critique in Rhyme
circa 1933
Carton 3, Folder 7
Election Night Returns
1986 October 30
Carton 3, Folder 8
Essential Black Women
undated
Carton 3, Folder 9
The Explorer,
Harper's Magazine
1959
Carton 3, Folder 11
For the Unveiling of the Chicago Picasso
1967
Carton 3, Folder 12
In Honor of Edgar Blakely: Our Friend
1980 December 26
Carton 3, Folder 13
Instruction to Myself
1989
Carton 3, Folder 14
Look at these faces, these scenes.
1967 September 17
Carton 3, Folder 15
My Democratic Donkey
undated
Carton 3, Folder 16
Raymond Brooks [Memorial Poem]
1974
Carton 3, Folder 18
The Sight of the Horizon: A Centennial Poem
1963 May 1-2
Carton 3, Folder 20
Something Needs Tending
1988 October 24
Carton 3, Folder 21
The Tiger Who Wore White Gloves
undated
Carton 3, Folder 22
To Henry Jr.
circa 1945-1946
Carton 3, Folder 23
To the Young who Want to Die
undated
Carton 3, Folder 24
Two Poems - Gay Chaps at the Bar,
Poetry: a Magazine in Verse
1944
Carton 3, Folder 26
The Way Is
1986 August 25
Carton 3, Folder 27
When the Children Ask
1986 August
Carton 3, Folder 28
The Poetry of Black America
- Contents List
undated
Carton 3, Folder 29
Bronzeville Boys and Girls
- Book Jacket
circa 1967
Carton 3, Folder 30
Gottschalk and the Grande Tarantelle - Book Jacket
circa 1988
Oversize Box 2, Folder 5
In the Mecca - Galley Proof
1968
2.2
Essays
1938-1980
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 32-37; Oversize Box 1, folder 1
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
Essays, in both manuscript and typescript, address subjects such as being a black writer and how to be a good poet. Also
included is an essay on Inez Cunningham Stark, the Chicago writer and scholar who ran one of the first poetry workshops to
which Brooks belonged; the full 1951 issue of
Holiday Magazine in which
They Call it Bronzeville appeared; and the manuscript of the
Young Poets Primer, her writing manual for young people.
Carton 3, Folder 32
Gladys the Gladiolus
undated
Carton 3, Folder 33
Has it Been Hard, Miss Brooks?
undated
Carton 3, Folder 34
How I Think Poetry Should be Written
1938 September 11
Carton 3, Folder 35
Inez Cunningham Stark
undated
Carton 3, Folder 37
Young Poet's Primer - Introduction
1980
Oversize Box 1, Folder 1
They Call it Bronzeville,
Holiday Magazine
1951
2.3
Plays and Screenplays
[1968],
1975
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 38-39
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes typescripts with author annotations for the only play written by Brooks,
A Tale of a Far Tomorrow and the poem adapted for the screen,
The Sundays of Satin Legs Smith.
Carton 3, Folder 38
A Tale of a Far Tomorrow
[1968]
Carton 3, Folder 39
The Sundays of Satin-Legs Smith
1975
2.4
Speeches
1968-1987,
undated
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 40-49
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes speeches in manuscript and typescript form, honoring influential writers (including Don Lee and her biographer George
E. Kent); discussing education of children about poetry; giving advice to women writers and new graduates. Several eulogies
are also included. At the end of the series are several untitled speeches.
Carton 3, Folder 40
Art and Blackness
undated
Carton 3, Folder 41
Building Future Leaders
undated
Carton 3, Folder 42
For Lisa Steinberg
undated
Carton 3, Folder 44
Introduction for Don Lee
undated
Carton 3, Folder 45
Poetry and the Education of Children
1987
Carton 3, Folder 46
A Response to the Theme: Causes for Optimism
1973 February 21
Carton 3, Folder 48
Untitled [
Poetry is life distilled]
1968
Carton 3, Folder 49
Untitled [
On the Difficult Conditions in the Bishop College]
undated
2.5
Reviews
1966,
undated
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 50-53
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Included are several reviews by Brooks on poetry collections, correspondence with newspaper staff, and her manuscript notes
on review work.
Carton 3, Folder 50
Raymond Roseliep
1966 January 12
Carton 3, Folder 52
Simple, Honest Poems of Richard Wilbur
undated
2.6
Miscellaneous Writings
1966-1987,
undated
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 54-59; Oversize Box 1, folder 2
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Contains drafts of jacket copy, the introduction to
Young Poets Primer, a Langston Hughes memorial, and articles about Brooks's writing. Also included here is the musical score by Brooks for
We'll Win Again and manuscript notes that include some poems, clippings, and addresses.
Carton 3, Folder 54
Daughter of the Dusk - Jacket Copy
undated
Carton 3, Folder 55
On the Death of Langston Hughes
1967
Carton 3, Folder 56
Congratulations! [On winning Poet Laureate award]
undated
Carton 3, Folder 57
About Brooks - Articles/Essays about Brooks's Writing
1966-1987
Oversize Box 1, Folder 2
We'll Win Again - Music and Lyrics
undated
Series 3
Professional Papers
1946-1990
Physical Description:
Carton 3-4; Oversize Box 1
Arrangement
Further divided into seven subseries: 3.1 Awards and Honors, 3.2 Speaking Engagements, 3.3 Organizations, 3.4 Activities,
3.5 Writing Conferences and Residencies, 3.6 Teaching, and 3.7 Miscellaneous Professional.
Scope and Content Note
Includes correspondence, flyers, programs, and records relating to Brooks's professional career as a poet, teacher, Illinois
Poet Laureate, and speaker.
3.1
Awards and Honors
1950-1988
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 60-69; Oversize Box 1, folder 3
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Included are letters, certificates, placards, and flyers from the universities, African American associations, libraries,
and organizations that conferred awards and honors upon Brooks. Also included is documentation pertaining to the Gwendolyn
Brooks Cultural Center at Western Illinois University.
Carton 3, Folder 60
National Book Awards, Nominees and Winners
1950-1975
Carton 3, Folder 61
Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture
1977
Carton 3, Folder 62
Columbia College of Chicago
1961-1968
Carton 3, Folder 64
Honorary Degrees
1967-1980
Carton 3, Folder 65
Honorary Degrees - Western Michigan University
1978
Carton 3, Folder 66
Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center - Western Illinois University
1970-1981,
undated
Carton 3, Folder 67
Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center - Annual Report
1973
Carton 3, Folder 68
Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center - Reports
1973
Carton 3, Folder 69
Miscellaneous
1957-1988,
undated
Box 1, Item Item 1
National Council of Black Studies Plaque
undated
3.2
Speaking Engagements
1950-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 3, folders 70-87; Carton 4, folders 1-6; Oversize Box 1, folder 4
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
The speaking engagements subseries documents Brooks's career as a public speaker, and includes invitations to universities,
schools, and community organizations, and letters of thanks from the institutions that Brooks visited. Included here also
are contracts and correspondence from speaking agencies that represented Ms. Brooks, in particular her agent in the 1970s
and 1980s, The Contemporary Forum, which illustrates both the extent of her travels and the amount she was paid for her work.
Of particular interest is the collection of her speaking engagement programs, fliers, and press releases. The series concludes
with a small amount of financial statements from the organizations that she addressed.
Carton 3, Folders 70-81
Correspondence
1950-1989,
undated
Carton 3, Folder 82-87
Contemporary Forum
1972-1987,
undated
Carton 4, Folders 1-5
Programs, Press, and Flyers
1951-1989,
undated
Carton 4, Folder 6
Financial
1955-1980,
undated
3.3
Organizations
1951-1982
Physical Description:
Carton 4, folders 7-16
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of files relating to the organizations that Brooks was involved with including: the American Academy and Institute
of Arts and Letters; the Carter administration President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties; the National
Institute of Arts and Letters; the Society of Midland Authors; and the International Black Writer's Conference. Files include
correspondence, bylaws, invitations, member lists, and reports.
Carton 4, Folder 8-9
American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters
1976-1982,
undated
Carton 4, Folder 10
International Black Writer's Conference
1973-1977,
undated
Carton 4, Folder 11
National Institute of Arts and Letters
1976
Carton 4, Folder 12-14
Quality of Life Panel, President's Commission for a National Agenda for the Eighties
1980
Carton 4, Folder 15
Society of Midland Authors
1951-1980
Carton 4, Folder 16
Miscellaneous
1954,
undated
3.4
Activities
1963-1990
Physical Description:
Carton 4, folders 17-32
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Included are materials documenting professional activities, such as Brooks's service on the advisory committee of the Illinois
Arts Council, and her work running a distinguished high school visiting poets program, which includes her invitations to renowned
poets. She also led the Illinois Poet Laureate awards, for which she solicited and judged youth and teen entries. Included
here as well are correspondence, programs, and poetry contest fliers from the many Chicago-area grade schools, high schools,
and colleges that she was connected with, and letters to Brooks requesting scholarship funds and references for fellowship
awards.
Carton 4, Folder 17-18
Poet Laureate Awards, Illinois Arts Council
1971-1981
Carton 4, Folder 19-23
Illinois Arts Council
1963-1981,
undated
Carton 4, Folder 24-28
Poetry Contests
1963-1990,
undated
Carton 4, Folder 29
Gwendolyn Brooks Black Student Awards
undated
Carton 4, Folder 30
Writer's Contest, [Clark College, Atlanta, GA]
circa 1977
Carton 4, Folder 31-32
Scholarships and Fellowships
1972-1980,
undated
3.5
Writing Conferences and Residencies
1968-1979
Physical Description:
Carton 4, folders 33-37
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Correspondence, clippings, programs, and other materials from the writing conferences and residencies that Brooks took part
in are found here. Institutions represented include the Fine Arts Work Center, The International Writing Program at the University
of Iowa, the Chicago Public Library, the Indiana University Writer's Conference, and the Cumberland Valley Writer's Conference.
Carton 4, Folder 33
Indiana University Writer's Conference
1968,
1971,
undated
Carton 4, Folder 34
Miscellaneous Writer's Conferences
1976-1979
Carton 4, Folder 35
Fine Arts Work Center, Provincetown, MA
1969-1976,
undated
Carton 4, Folder 36
The International Writing Program, University of Iowa
1969
Carton 4, Folder 37
Chicago Public Library - Wild Onion Festival
1977
3.6
Teaching
1966-1981
Physical Description:
Carton 4, folders 38-42
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes correspondence and other materials pertaining to Brooks's positions as a visiting professor at several institutions
and offers of teaching posts from many universities and colleges.
Carton 4, Folder 38-42
Teaching
1966-1981,
undated
3.7
Miscellaneous Professional
1946-1988
Physical Description:
Carton 4, folders 43-47
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Included are Harper and Row royalty statements, payment stubs from colleges, newspapers, and publishers, a 1964 version of
her resume and a collection of miscellaneous fliers and programs.
Carton 4, Folder 43-44
Royalty Statements and Payment Stubs
1946-1977
Carton 4, Folder 46-47
Professional Miscellaneous
[1964]-1988,
undated
Series 4
Personal Papers
1928-1984
Physical Description:
Cartons 5-7; Carton 15, folders 1-8; Oversize Box 1; Box 1
Arrangement
Divided into three subseries: 4.1 Personal Miscellany, 4.2 Family Papers, and 4.3 Financial Papers.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of personal notebooks, scrapbooks, announcements, and financial records, and papers of family members.
4.1
Personal Miscellany
1928-1981
Physical Description:
Carton 5, folders 1-14; Oversize Box 1, folder 5; Box 1, volume 1
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of Brooks's calendars, a guestbook, legal documents, travel documents, a collection of addresses, her 1928 school
report card, and a scrapbook of poetry and clippings that Brooks compiled in the 1930s. Also included within this series are
a group of graduation, birth, death, and wedding announcements and invitations from Brooks's friends, acquaintances, and relatives.
Another scrapbook contains Brooks's poetry and news clippings as well as an award from the Black Women's League of Madison.
Carton 5, Folder 6
Legal Documents
1946-1980
Carton 5, Folder 7
Travel Documents
1971,
1977,
undated
Carton 5, Folder 10
Report Card - Forestville School, 6th Grade
1928
Carton 5, Folder 11
Poetry Clippings Scrapbook
circa 1930s
Carton 5, Folder 12
Announcements - Graduation
1968-1979,
undated
Carton 5, Folder 13
Announcements - Receptions, Benefits
1958-1981
Carton 5, Folder 14
Announcements - Wedding, Death, Birth
1958-1980
4.2
Family Papers
1929-1984
Physical Description:
Carton 5-7
Arrangement
Further divided into three sub-subseries: 4.2.1 Keziah C. Brooks Papers (mother), 4.2.2 Henry Blakely Papers (husband), and
4.2.3 Nora Blakely Papers (daughter).
Scope and Content Note
Consists of personal materials from the members of Brooks's immediate family.
4.2.1
Keziah C. Brooks Papers
1929-1977
Physical Description:
Carton 5, folders 16-31; Box 1, volume 2
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes the manuscript and typescript of her writing project,
Storiettes, a collection of her notebooks, and correspondence.
Carton 5, Folder 15-19
Storiettes
circa 1972-1977,
undated
Carton 5, Folder 20-21
Miscellaneous Writings
undated
Carton 5, Folder 22-27
Notebooks
1929-1944,
undated
Carton 5, Folder 28-31
Miscellaneous
1959-1978,
undated
Box 1, Volume Volume 2
Keziah Brooks -
Famous Composers scrapbook
undated
4.2.2
Henry Blakely Papers
1938-1984
Physical Description:
Carton 5, folders 32-37; Carton 6, folders 1-29
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Henry Blakely's active involvement in the writing community is documented through correspondence, a typescript of his published
collection of poems,
Windy Place, and materials related to his work with various organizations. Student manuscript poems that were composed as part of the
Chicago Public Library
Writing in Chicago Program that Blakely organized are also included.
Carton 5, Folder 33
Correspondence - miscellaneous
1978-1984
Carton 5, Folder 34-37
Writings
1938-1975,
undated
Carton 6, Folder 1-2
Writings
1938-1975,
undated
Carton 6, Folder 3-5
Speeches and Appearances
1977-1978,
undated
Carton 6, Folder 6-7
Organizations
1978-1984,
undated
Carton 6, Folder 8-15
Business Papers
1969-1978,
undated
Carton 6, Folder 16-26
Teaching
1976-1979,
undated
Carton 6, Folder 27-29
Miscellaneous
1969-1982,
undated
4.2.3
Nora Blakely Papers
1968-1983
Physical Description:
Cartons 6, folders 30-49; Carton 7, folders 1-33; Oversize Box 1, folders 6-7
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of correspondence, writings, professional, and personal papers. The bulk consists of records of the Anchor Arts Organization
for Children, a multidisciplinary arts non-profit group that she founded in 1979; and
Rainbow Magazine, a press for (and run by) teens and children which Nora published. Includes magazine issues, newsletters, correspondence,
submissions, and financial documents.
Carton 6, Folder 31
Correspondence miscellaneous
1977-1981
Carton 6, Folder 32-38
Writings
1979-1980,
undated
Carton 6, Folder 39-49
Organizations, Anchor Arts Organization
1979-1983,
undated
Carton 7, Folder 1
Organizations, Anchor Arts Organization Notebook
undated
Carton 7, Folder 2-6
Organizations, Kuumba
1973-1981,
undated
Carton 7, Folder 7-17
Organizations,
Rainbow Magazine
1980-1981,
undated
Carton 7, Folder 18-21
Organizations, other
1979-1981,
undated
Carton 7, Folder 27-33
Personal
1968-1981,
undated
4.3
Financial Papers
1951-1980
Physical Description:
Carton 15, Folders 1-8
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of income and earnings statements, bank statements, tax documents, insurance forms, travel related financial documents,
and miscellaneous financial records.
Carton 15, Folder 1-7
Financial Papers
1951-1980,
undated
Carton 15, Folder 8
Raymond Brooks - Miscellaneous Financial
1953-1956
Series 5
Clippings
1938-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 8; Oversize Boxes 2, 3
Arrangement
Divided into two subseries: 5.1 About Gwendolyn Brooks and 5.2 General Clippings
Scope and Content Note
Consists of clippings collected by Brooks, documenting her writing career and various topics of interest.
5.1
About Gwendolyn Brooks
1947-1988
Physical Description:
Carton 8, folders 1-6; Oversize Box 2, folders 1-4.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of over four decades of clippings detailing Brooks's career. Included is Pulitzer Prize publicity, articles announcing
honors and tributes in her name, new book and readings announcements, and articles regarding her many activities in Chicago
and the surrounding communities.
Carton 8, Folder 1-6
Clippings by decade
1947-1988,
undated
Oversize Box 2, Folder 1-4
Clippings by decade
1957-1987,
undated
5.2
General Clippings
1938-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 8, folders 7-29; Oversize Box 3, folders 2-7.
Arrangement
Arranged by subject and by decade.
Scope and Content Note
Brooks collected a wide array of clippings on many subjects, including: poets and writers, including Pablo Neruda, Anaïs Nin,
and Robert Lowell; black leaders; Chicago-related news; and Presidents Carter and Reagan. Many clippings have been annotated
by Brooks. Full issues of some newspapers are also included.
Carton 8, Folder 7-29
General Clippings
1938-1989,
undated
Oversize Box 3, Folder 2-7
Newspapers
circa 1950-1980
Series 6
Writings by Others
1967-1989
Physical Description:
Cartons 9-13
Arrangement
Divided into four subseries: 6.1 Individuals, 6.2 Teaching and Workshops, 6.3 Poetry from Schools, and 6.4 Publications by
Others
Scope and Content Note
Includes manuscripts, typescripts, correspondence, and publications written by others.
6.1
Individuals
1967-1988
Physical Description:
Cartons 9-10; Carton 11, folders 1-11
Arrangement
Arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of manuscript poems, essays, and creative fiction, many of which appear to have been sent to Brooks for review. Correspondence
often accompanies the manuscripts; several files contain the reply that Brooks sent to the author. Files are alphabetized
by the writer's surname; anonymous and unidentified writers are found at the end of the series. Closing the series is correspondence
requesting manuscript review. Writers include: R. Adair, Paul Alexander, Marion "Tumbleweed" Beach, Maxine Chernoff, Paul
R. Harding, Angela Jackson, and James Meehan among others.
Carton 9, Folder 1-58
Authors, A-K
1968-1985,
undated
Carton 10, Folder 1-58
Authors, L-Z
1967-1988,
undated
Carton 10, Folder 59-61
Authors, Anonymous
undated
Carton 11, Folder 1-6
Individuals and Unidentified
1964-1986,
undated
Carton 11, Folder 7
Various Authors - Collected Poems
1972,
undated
Carton 11, Folder 8
Various Authors - Encyclopedia Britannica
1969
Carton 11, Folder 9-10
Requests for Manuscript Review
1960-1981,
undated
Carton 11, Folder 11
Unsolicited Manuscripts
1982
6.2
Teaching and Workshops
1976-1979
Physical Description:
Carton 11, folders 12-20
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes manuscripts, typescripts and notes submitted to Brooks from writers and students in
The Gwendolyn Brooks Workshop, Brooks's prison courses, and other writing workshops.
Carton 11, Folder 12
Gwendolyn Brooks Workshop - Class Poems
undated
Carton 11, Folder 13
Prison Class Writings
1976-1979
Carton 11, Folder 14-20
Student Class work
undated
6.3
Poetry from Schools
1968-1989
Physical Description:
Carton 11, folders 21-32
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Scope and Content Note
Includes manuscripts, typescripts, and notes that Brooks received from students, documenting Brooks's active career as a visiting
poet to Illinois schools.
Carton 11, Folder 21-32
Student Poetry
1968-1989,
undated
6.4
Publications by Others
1950-1990
Physical Description:
Carton 12-13; Oversize Box 1, folder 10; Oversize Box 3, folder 7
Arrangement
Arranged by subject.
Scope and Content Note
Contains magazines, poetry and literary journals, and chapbooks, arranged into the following subjects: Poetry, Black Publications,
Songbooks, Newsletters, Reports, and Miscellaneous. Many publications are either inscribed or dedicated to Brooks.
Carton 12, Folder 1-15
Poetry
1950-1990,
undated
Carton 12, Folder 16-24
Black Publications
1965-1981,
undated
Carton 13, Folder 1-7
Black Publications
1972-1984
Carton 13, Folder 8-10
General Publications
1977-1982
Carton 13, Folder 18-21
Miscellaneous
1925-1989,
undated
Oversize Box 1, Folder 9
Chicago Magazine, Charter Issue
1964
Oversize Box 3, Folder 1
Carr, Peter.
Bumpers, Bugs, USA
1969
Series 7
Miscellaneous
circa 1940-1991
Physical Description:
Carton 15, folders 9-17; Oversize Box 1, folders 8-9
Arrangement
Arranged hierarchically.
Scope and Content Note
Consists of materials created by colleges and organizations; articles and newsletters related to black arts and studies and
politics; and other miscellaneous items. Includes fliers, brochures, ephemera, pamphlets, and other formats.
Carton 15, Folder 9
Writing
1971-1978,
undated
Carton 15, Folder 10
Black Organizations, History, Art
1963-1978,
undated
Carton 15, Folder 11
Colleges
1974-1991,
undated
Carton 15, Folder 12-13
Organizations
1965-1980,
undated
Carton 15, Folder 15-16
Ephemera
circa 1940s,
undated
Oversize Box 1, Folder 10
Martin Luther King Jr. Print
undated
