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David Henderson, born in Harlem, New York, is a poet, biographer, and cofounder of Umbra Poets, an influential collective of poets and writers who were central to the Black Arts Movement in the 1960s. His books include Neo-California (North Atlantic Books, 1998) and De Mayor of Harlem (E. P. Dutton, 1970). Henderson’s first poetry collection, Felix of the Silent Forest, was published by Diane di Prima in 1967. An educator and activist, he lives in New York City.
Born in 1931, Etheridge Knight was a prominent member of the Black Arts movement.
Pulitzer Prize winner Gwendolyn Brooks, who wrote more than twenty books of poetry in her lifetime, was the first Black woman appointed Poet Laureate of the United States.
Born in 1943, Nikki Giovanni is the author of numerous collections of poetry and was the first recipient of the Rosa Parks Woman of Courage Award.
Poet, performer, and editor Quincy Troupe received the American Book Award for his work Snake-Back Solos: Selected Poems, 1969-1977.
Poet and performance artist Jayne Cortez was born in Fort Huachuca, Arizona.
Born Donald Luther Lee in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1942, Haki Madhubuti is a poet, essayist, and editor.