Youth Poetry Awards Honors Legacy Of IL Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks

By Meha Ahmad
Gwendolyn Brooks, 68, poetry consultant to the Library of Congress and named poet laureate of the sate of Illinois in 1968, sits in the Poet Room of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., in March 1986. Brooks, who advises the Library of Congress on its literary programs and acquisitions, will end her one-year term in May.
Gwendolyn Brooks sits in the Poet Room of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., in March 1986. AP Photo
Gwendolyn Brooks, 68, poetry consultant to the Library of Congress and named poet laureate of the sate of Illinois in 1968, sits in the Poet Room of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., in March 1986. Brooks, who advises the Library of Congress on its literary programs and acquisitions, will end her one-year term in May.
Gwendolyn Brooks sits in the Poet Room of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., in March 1986. AP Photo

Youth Poetry Awards Honors Legacy Of IL Poet Laureate Gwendolyn Brooks

By Meha Ahmad
WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

This past weekend, Illinois Humanities and the Poetry Foundation hosted the 2019 Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Awards, recognizing the work of K through 12 students across the city and state.

The awards honor the legacy of Illinois Poet Laureate and Pulitzer-Prize winning poet Gwendolyn Brooks, and drew in submissions from 260 students from 43 cities and towns across Illinois.

Morning Shift talked to two of the people behind the event and one of the student honorees.

GUESTS: Gabrielle Lyon, Executive Director of Illinois Humanities

Nora Brooks Blakely, contest judge and daughter of Gwendolyn Brooks

Aanika Pfister, 12th grader at Lane Tech High School, one of the winners with her poem “Mama Loves You”