120 Years of Poetry: 16 Influential Black Women Poets From Then to Now
Poetry has been a powerful means of expressing emotions, thoughts, and experiences since the beginning of oral tradition. More than just an artistic form of exploration and experimentation, poetry serves as a way to preserve culture, celebrate love, mourn loss, and connect through the trials and triumphs of our human experiences.
For many poets, writing poetry is a way to use their voice and generate a platform of likeminded people to advocate for change. It serves as a call to action, a way to stand up for what they believe in, to promote social transformation with empathy and compassion. This is especially true for marginalized people, particularly Black women, who have used their craft to critique social injustices, political oppression, and societal norms.
Poets like Audre Lorde, Maya Angelou, and Amanda Gorman, are just some of the writers whose evocative poetics have exposed the injustices of racism, challenged the narratives and stereotypes of Black women, and called for liberation. They’ve also used their work to celebrate Black identity and resilience, as well as centering women’s voices and experiences to highlight the intersecting oppression of race, gender, and class.
That’s why we’re highlighting 120 years of influential Black women poets who have spoken out against racism, sexism, misogyny, and violence against all women, exploring the complexities of intersectional identity.
Gwendolyn Brooks
1917-2000
Topeka, Kansas
“Say to them,
say to the down-keepers,
the sun-slappers,
the self-soilers,
the harmony-hushers,
"Even if you are not ready for day
it cannot always be night."
You will be right.
For that is the hard home-run.
Live not for battles won.
Live not for the-end-of-the-song.
Live in the along.”
― Gwendolyn Brooks
An educator, author, and poet, Gwendolyn Brooks is known as one of the most influential poets of the 20th century for the way she shed light on the challenges of Black culture in America. Her work discusses inequality, racism, and drug use along with feminist topics revolving around motherhood, art, and the woman’s experience.
Some of her most notable works include the poem “We Real Cool” (1959), and the books Maude Martha (1953) and Bronzeville Boys and Girls (1956). In 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize for her work in Annie Allen (1949).
Maya Angelou
1928-2014
St. Louis, Missouri
“Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.”
― Maya Angelou
A civil rights activist, memoirist, playwright, and well-renowned poet, Maya Angelou worked with Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X during the height of the Civil Rights movement. Her work closely focuses on the social and sexual oppression of Black women and the economic and racial disparity experienced by Black people.
Some of her most notable works include I Know the Caged Bird Sings (1969), And Still I Rise: A Book of Poems (1978), and The Heart of a Woman (1969). In 2010, Maya Angelou won the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Audre Lorde
1934-1992
Harlem, New York
“For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us to temporarily beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change. Racism and homophobia are real conditions of all our lives in this place and time. I urge each one of us here to reach down into that deep place of knowledge inside herself and touch that terror and loathing of any difference that lives here. See whose face it wears. Then the personal as the political can begin to illuminate all our choices.”
― Audre Lorde
A lesbian feminist, poet, essayist, and advocate, Audre Lorde is a pioneer in the Black lesbian community. Her work challenges many stigmas faced by black women and lesbians, creating a calling for diversity and inclusion in the radical feminist movement.
Some of her most notable works include The Black Unicorn: Poems (1995), Sister Outsider: Essays and Speeches (1984), and Zami: A New Spelling of My Name (1982). Audre Lorde’s 1988 collection, A Burst of Light and other Essays won the American Book Award in 1989.
Sonia Sanchez
1934-Present
Birmingham, Alabama
“All poets, all writers are political. They either maintain the status quo, or they say, ‘Something’s wrong, let’s change it for the better.’”
— Sonia Sanchez
A poet, playwright, and activist, Sonia Sanchez is a powerful voice in the Black Arts Movement and the feminist movement. Her work closely focuses on political messages about race, gender, and social justice, addressing issues of sexism and misogyny in the Black community.
Some of her most notable works include Home Coming (1969), Does Your House Have Lions? (1997), and Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems (2000). Sonia Sanchez’s 1985 collection, I’ve Been a Woman: New and Selected Poems, won the American Book Award in 1986.
Lucille Clifton
1936-2010
Depew, New York
“I don’t write out of what I know; I write out of what I wonder. I think most artists create art in order to explore, not to give the answers. Poetry and art are not about answers to me; they are about questions.”
― Lucille Clifton
A poet, writer, and educator, Lucille Clifton’s prolific works are known for exploring the experiences of Black women, celebrating their resilience and strength. Her work discusses race, gender, and spirituality, with the powerful use of metaphor and imagery.
Some of her most notable works include Good Times (1969), An Ordinary Woman (1974), and The Book of Light (1993). Lucille Clifton’s 1983 children’s book, Everett Anderson’s Goodbye, won the Coretta Scott King Award.
Nikki Giovanni
1943-Present
Knoxville, Tennessee
“A lot of people refuse to do things because they don't want to go naked, don't want to go without guarantee. But that's what's got to happen. You go naked until you die.”
― Nikki Giovanni
A writer, commentator, activist, poet, and educator, Nikki Giovanni is pivotal in moving along the Civil Rights Movement through her writing and speaking. Her works draw attention to the need for the support of Black communities, using her platform to advocate for education and encourage young people to pursue their passions.
Some of her most notable works include Black Feeling, Black Talk (1971), Cotton Candy on a Rainy Day (1981), and Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea: Poems and Not Quite Poems (1991). In 1999, Nikki Giovanni received the Langston Hughes Medal from the City College of New York.
Cheryl Clarke
1947-Present
Washington, D.C.
“For a woman to be a lesbian in a male-supremacist, capitalist, misogynist, racist, homophobic, imperialist culture, such as that of North America, is an act of resistance.”
–Cheryl Clarke
A writer, poet, essayist, and educator, Cheryl Clarke is known for her work in Black feminism and lesbian literature, often addressing race, gender, and sexuality as she explores the experiences of Black lesbian women in America. In the 1970s, she was one of the co-founders of the Women’s PressCollective, aiming to publish works by and for women who wrote about race, class, and sexuality.
Some of her most notable works include Narratives: Poems in the Tradition of Black Women (1982), Living as a Lesbian (1986), and Humid Pitch: Narrative Poetry (1989). In 2019, Cheryl Clarke was awarded the Publishing Triangle’s Leadership Award.
Rita Dove
1952-Present
Akron, Ohio
“If only the sun-drenched celebrities are being noticed and worshiped, then our children are going to have a tough time seeing the value in the shadows, where the thinkers, probers and scientists are keeping society together.”
― Rita Dove
A poet, writer, and teacher, Rita Dove is known for discussing the history of race and identity, drawing on personal and cultural experiences to create vivid poetry about Black communities and individuals. She has been a teacher and mentor to many young writers and is widely recognized for her contribution to American literature.
Some of her most notable works include The Yellow House on the Corner (1980), Through the Ivory Gate (1992), and On the Bus with Rosa Parks (1999). In 1987, Rita Rove won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her collection Thomas and Beulah (1986).
Claudia Rankine
1963-Present
Kingston, Jamaica
“Perhaps this is how racism feels no matter the context—randomly the rules everyone else gets to play by no longer apply to you, and to call this out by calling out “I swear to God!” is to be called insane, crass, crazy. Bad sportsmanship.”
― Claudia Rankine
A poet, essayist, playwright, and editor, Claudia Rankine uses poetry, prose, and visual art to create a portrait of the Black experience by exploring race and racism in America. Her work is recognized for its social and political commentary intertwined with resonant language, film, and performance art.
Some of her most notable works include Plot (2001), The Provenance of Beauty: A South Bronx Travelogue (2009), and The White Card (2018). In 2014, Claudia Rankine won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry for her book, Citizen: An American Lyric (2014).
“I'm a woman. That means I break hard. And mend like a motherfucker; all sexy and full of heartbreakingly beautiful scars.”
― Staceyann Chin
A poet, performer, and LGBTQ rights activist, Staceyann Chin moved to the U.S. after coming out as a lesbian in her 20s to offer America some of the most electrifying performance poetry that addresses race, gender, sexuality, and social justice. She has worked alongside Doctors Without Borders and the United Nations to advocate for humanitarian efforts and LGBTQ issues.
Some of her most notable works include The Other Side of Paradise: A Memoir (2019) and Crossfire: A Litany for Survival (2019). In 2007, Staceyann Chin won the Power of the Voice Award from the Human Rights Campaign.
Tracy K. Smith
1972-Present
Falmouth, Massachusetts
“Once upon a time, a woman told this to her daughter: Save yourself. The girl didn’t think to ask for what? She looked into her mother’s face and answered Yes. Years later, alone in the room where she lives, The daughter listens to the life she’s been saved from: Evening patter. Summer laughter. Young bodies Racing into the unmitigated happiness of danger.”
― Tracy K. Smith
A poet, teacher, and memoirist, Tracy K. Smith’s works focus on race, religion, history, and the natural world. She discusses mortality and transcendence, along with issues such as racism, police brutality, and the environment.
Some of her most notable works include Duende (2007), Life on Mars (2011), and Wade in the Water (2018). In 2006, Tracy K. Smith won the James Laughlin Award from the Academy of American Poets for her first book, The Body’s Question.
Yona Harvey
1974-Present
Cincinnati, Ohio
“Yeah, I’m blessed in these times of nervous weather. The leaves chill in a bundle then scatter like police, off to the next doorstep. They don’t step, they don’t faze me. These jeans could hold three men.”
–Yona Harvey
A poet, essayist, and professor, Yona Harvey is best known for works that explore family, identity, race, and history. She is an English professor teaching creative writing and African American Literature who also has written essays about race and culture for The New Yorker and The Washington Post.
Some of her most notable works include Hemming the Water (2013) and You Don’t Have to Go to Mars for Love (2020). In 2015, Yona Harvey won the Individual Artist Fellowship from the Pittsburgh Foundation for her impact on poetry and literature.
Aja Monet
1987-Present
Brooklyn, New York
“Poetry alone cannot change the material conditions of an unjust society, but I challenge anyone to name a substantive freedom movement that does not have poetry.”
–Aja Monet
A surrealist poet, activist, and storyteller, Aja Monet is a powerful spoken-word artist who explores love, identity, race, and social justice through her poetry and performance art. She is known as a community organizer and social justice activist, working with Dream Defenders and Black Lives Matter.
Some of her most notable works include My Mother Was a Freedom Fighter (2017).
Jamila Woods
1989-Present
Chicago, Illinois
“whoever i am, i am always Black, practicing our surname under my breath like a poem i already wrote but have yet to read out loud.”
― Jamila Woods
A singer/songwriter, poet, and activist, Jamila Woods produces soulful music that addresses the Black identity, social justice, and self-love. She is also an educator who has taught creative writing and poetry workshops at community centers and schools around Chicago.
Some of her most notable works are HEAVN (2016) and LEGACY! LEGACY! (2019). In 2015, she was featured on Chance the Rapper’s hit song, Sunday Candy. In 2016, Jamila Woods won the Impact Award from the Chicago Music Awards.
Jasmine Mans
1991-Present
Newark, New Jersey
“Does black girl magic really mean,
‘look at how black girl hasn't died yet’
and when she does die,
what does she become,
human?”
― Jasmine Mans
A performance artist and poet, Jasmine Mans takes her academic background in African Studies and her experience as a Black queer woman to interweave life with poetics. Her work connects Black women and girls, and her performance art allows her to reach vast audiences with her words.
Her most notable works include Chalk Outlines of Snow Angels (2012) and Black Girl, Call Home (2021). Jasmine Mans is currently the resident poet at Newark Public Library.
Amanda Gorman
1998-Present
Los Angeles, California
“When day comes, we step out of the shade of flame and unafraid.
The new dawn balloons as we free it.
For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
― Amanda Gorman
A poet and activist, Amanda Gorman is most known for her poem “The Hill We Climb” which she recited at President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration. Her works discuss social justice, oppression, and race, and she’s founded several organizations focusing on literacy and youth empowerment.
Some of her most notable works include Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem (2021) and Call Us What We Carry (2021). In 2021, she won the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Poetry.
Interested in More Books by Black Authors?
Check out our blog, 10 Books by Black Women Authors You Should Be Reading. We dive into 10 of the most fiercely written books in a variety of genres by contemporary Black women authors that we’ve read over the past year. This book list is important to us because it features a diverse range of voices and narratives that explore various aspects of the Black experience, both within the United States and beyond. Each title plays a role in Black history and culture, highlighting unique characters with experiences that reflect on the impact of systemic injustice and the Black identity.
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