Gwendolyn Brooks and Working Writers The contributors relate the poet's

The contributors relate the poet's influences on their art

and practice can be traced back to ancient African thought

and cultural experiences of many who participated in Chicago's black struggle for self-determination

the volume goes further

This collection is not only precise tenderness

Gwendolyn Brooks and Working Writers The contributors relate the poet'sSeventeen writers, educators, and close friends of the late poet contribute their praise through this collection of brief anecdotes from actual encounters with Gwendolyn Brooks. The contributors relate the poet's influences on their art, their lives, and the world; expressing their indebtedness for the revolutionary language of her poems, her universal maternity, and her outstanding kindness. Some of Brook's most influential poems are included such