An interview with Gwendolyn Brooks

In this edition of HoCoPoLitSo's The Writing life, revered American poet Gwendolyn Brooks sat down in 1986 to talk with Alan Jabbour, director of the Library of Congress' American Folklore division, and E. Ethelbert Miller, poet and director of the African American Resource Center at Howard University.
Brooks was the Library of Congress' 29th consultant in poetry, and tells the story in this program of winning the Pulitzer at age 32, and getting the phone call in the dark because the electric company had cut off their power because they couldn't afford to pay the bill. She recites "We Real Cool," a poem she says has lasted because of its "insouciance and staccato effect." She talks about her introduction to black nationalism, feminism and James Baldwin. Brooks says, "I like for blacks to be proud of what they have come from. They need to learn they have much to be proud of."
For more information about The Writing Life and HoCoPoLitSo, visit www.hocopolitso.org.

[@WilkineBrutus]

She is a beautiful human being.

[@rievans57]

***** can you imagine a black person winning such a prestigious award as the Pulitzer Prize several years before the Emmitt Till tragedy?

[@jacklowe3429]

I met Ms. Brooks before a reading she gave at Elmhurst (IL) College in 1992. She was a sharp, down to earth person who gave an energetic reading, despite being almost 80 years old at the time. The meeting was a pleasure, as well as a privilege, for me. She is one of the reasons I became a poet, myself.

[@crystalgrose]

She left such a legacy. Rest in Heaven.

[@happylindsay4475]

She is a gift to humanity.

[@kevinomariglesias1115]

“Even if you’re not ready for the day, it cannot always be night” -Gwendolyn Brooks

[@felinefokus]

What does it mean?

[@brainerd8969]

@@felinefokuslet’s say you got a test tomorrow and you not ready, you can worry or whatever but the day is gonna come it cannot always be night means the night will pass and it will be a new day even if you don’t want it to come

[@yancy1200]

Kanye West brought me here “even if you are not ready for the day, it cannot always be night”. Brilliant Poet

[@flyis4ever]

Me too

[@pedromohn6236]

Eu também kkk

[@tamigage2537]

Same here!!

[@natashacameron5474]

Me also!

[@Rehmer94]

Mee too

[@kpoLove]

Gwendolyn Brooks is one of the greatest poet in history.

[@theoutsiderartists1231]

I'm not a poet but I've written hundreds of songs that have come to nothing. This astonishing lady has left a legacy that anyone would be proud of. A life well-lived.

[@DTWrites1books]

She inspired me to write! An amazing woman and an incredible talent!

[@hocopolitso]

+DTWrites1 I'm so glad Ms. Brooks inspired you. She was an astonishing poet. If you liked this interview, try one with Lucille Clifton, another poet who looked around at her world in amazing ways. Keep writing!

[@hocopolitso]

Isn't it wonderful to hear her voice reading? And her facial expressions are terrific too. Thanks for watching!

[@-beee-]

Wow, what a brilliant interview. Thank you for sharing this!

[@hocopolitso]

Our pleasure!

[@darcy27]

AN ABSOLUTE LITERARY LEGEND, GWENDOLYN BROOKS.

[@TheMajesticKnight]

Thank you for uploading this amazing interview of the beautiful Gwendolyn Brooks

[@hocopolitso]

Thank you, Lyn, for watching and appreciating.

[@hocopolitso]

Hi Angelina, I'm glad you're researching Ms. Brooks -- you're right. She is amazing. And there's not much video of her, so this is a good find. Good luck with the paper.

[@toricoltori]

I met Ms. Brooks while in the stacks at Chicago State University's library in the mid 90s....she touched my soul!

[@burtmanly5208]

I really enjoyed this, thank you. Notebook by ones side is the best advice anyone can give . Jot down everything and anything. The passing moment will be clay you mould, the cake you bake... And your most prized gift. I lost all mine which was upsetting...Such is a life of moving around. Hopefully, the social media age won't damage the future poets too much...

[@lovelyjavid]

her voice is awesome

[@andreatucker4377]

What an amazing black woman!what an honor to.see and listen to this black poet.

[@gloriamitchell3518]

Great content!!

[@andrewsmurphy]

Hello Gloria....nice meeting you here...I hope you are having a nice day out there?

[@anngreenfield6016]

what a beauty!!

[@felinefokus]

She is special shout out to Bell Hooks for bringing me here

[@hocopolitso]

A good shout-out to both bell hooks and to Brooks. We're happy bell brought you. Try some Lucille Clifton from our channel!

[@felinefokus]

@@hocopolitso Thank you for the recommendation! I surely will! What are your thoughts on Toni Morrison's work? I am just discovering her too. What was her message?

[@hocopolitso]

@@felinefokus Not sure Morrison really had a message, besides the necessity of kindness and humanity. Song of Solomon -- that's a great novel to start with, then work your way up to Beloved!

[@felinefokus]

@@hocopolitso kindness and humanity, acts worthy of dissemination! Thank you for your thoughtful feedback 💙

[@therealzilch]

What a lovely and intelligent lady.

[@JamieDPS]

"Even if you are not ready for day it cannot always be night."

[@hocopolitso]

I love Brooks' recitation of that poem in this recording, but as she said she loved, she heard many different versions over the years. That's what's great about poetry, you can interpret it based on your experience and make it your own. Poets just send their poems like balloons out into the world. It's up to readers to catch and appreciate.

[@franklinblunt69]

Yes, but doesn't mean she agrees with or condones those interpretations. Such change & personalization possible, but still misinterprets the poets intended message, she is very misunderstood & exploited. That staccato, deliberately transitioning with emphasis of We & pause after, brilliant.

[@nika_sk8848]

She is absolutely awesome!

[@JasonLandsdown-ss3ew]

She was very genuine upfront and honest. The scope of her intelligence is remarkable.

[@markochoversus842]

Hay veces que la música te abre puertas a universos maravillosos. Qué hermoso encontrar estos documentos multimedia. Gracias, Donda, gracias Kanye

[@q2breath]

What an Extraordinary woman!

[@hocopolitso]

Agreed -- she is so strong and animated in this interview, I love her recitation and responses.

[@Angiepoohable]

im doing a research paper on her she is amazing

[@TrpleAgnt2011]

I like how the electric got switched back on next day. funny how things can work.

[@SSorrens]

Thank you primary sources!

[@hocopolitso]

+SeribroUltimateGamer National History Day? Hope this program helped your paper/report/project! And she's an inspiring story, with a great reciting voice.

[@SSorrens]

hocopolitso Nope, just Women's History Month! But it did help!

[@hocopolitso]

Glad it helped! She's a gem.

[@powerplay4real174]

She is real cool 😎

[@honestiwhitworth684]

Gwendolyn brooks was a good poet

[@nappyscribe1987]

I’m a Black Writer and will tell it in my Blackness FOR Blacks. The reason I came to this conclusion is because in my first book I found myself explaining a lot for white readers, then I heard Toni Morrison say knock the little white man off your shoulder and go on and write the book.

[@franklinblunt69]

Please apologize for the tone of my message & you are free to respond in kind because I accept the criticism & honest revelations, but it truly is heart-wrenching & disappointing that somehow (although not surprising amid the aberrant conditions & disinformation) you don't get her message about self-reflection, personal responsibility, & accountability, among else, but divert & externalize along with selectively or deliberately suppressing exposure & indulge, instead of imposing accountability upon the worse abuses, violations, harm, & outright evil, from whomever & wherever it may happen. As with too many, persisting off their own bias, hypocrisy, hate, & bigotry to promote, enable, & indulge abuse, discrimination, prejudice, ethical incongruity (then cry foul when people righteously respond & they are deservedly treated the same, else inherently suspicious & unable to respond with requisite courtesy & kindness or provide protection to anybody so vulnerable or actually getting harmed), socio-economic disparity, immorality, persecution & injustice undeservedly imposed upon innocent people merely from superficial characterizations & perceptions or worse perpetuating them. Either explicit or implied by your statements, I already can expect validation. You could truthfully expose any & all abuse from actual incidents & real people, nothing vicarious or perceived, I'm very critical & intelligent to discern such, beside have means to research. I'm an objective, sympathetic, & compassionate person, along with empathetic since I have endured such abuse, harm, injustice, exploitation, ... Also please provide your published writing along with other behaviors & actions which I may consider either substantiating my expectations or perhaps countering them, but likely I will only receive the expected slander & vehement disregard. I'm hoping for the better & being pleasantly surprised, which would be welcome amid those aberrant conditions & perpetual disappointment. Hope that you are safe & protected.

[@MuvaMaat]

Ancestors brought me here

[@crystalgrose]

Phenomenal woman! I love Gwendolyn Brooks. What year is this interview? Just curious.

[@kwamealievergreen4257]

+Crystal Grose 1986

[@falanajerido875]

Very down to earth

[@tamimerriweather1449]

In science we have to do a wax musuem and I Gwendolyn Brooks my speech is " hello my name name is Gwendolyn Brooks I was born on June 7 1917 in Kansas I published my first poem in a children's magazine . by 16 I published 15 poems. My work received an award from Midwestern writers conference . I'm writer perhaps because I'm not a talker

[@butterscotchgirl4478]

👏👏👏

[@jamesclarkson5100]

One time I wrote a poem here I go. You is black is black is you not. I said yes I is.

[@ajeetyogaandhealingarts2609]

loved her true ness so much to learn here

[@andrewsmurphy]

Hello dear....nice meeting you here...I hope you are having a nice day out there?

[@falanajerido875]

I am learning of her

[@terryallen3237]

I love Haki and Gwen

[@jamesclarkson5100]

Oh my God please hold on give me a chance give me a chance to explain Andre Leon Tali is it not gonna make me start crying

[@rochellewarren6219]

💜💥

[@neginsalehi3449]

The interviewer reminds me of Ross from FRIENDS

[@hannabz10]

Negin Salehi HAHAHAHAHA YESSSS

[@JayBenjamin9214]

We reeeeeeeeeal cool :D

[@lovedichoreo1529]

Just saw someone who reminds me of her

[@RealQuotess.]

Here from Ye, Can i get a time stamp? For the quote

[@judithgrace9850]

RI.P Thank you. Mrs. Brooks. I left USA in 2021 at 79 for a safe and 70% less expensive in Queretaro. Send ALL criminals to Russia etc one way with shaved heads Karma never loses an address. and we reap what we sow.

[@jamesclarkson5100]

So without wouldn't make me the Nobel peace prize winner since I was 17 but I'm just kidding since we're in Illinois it wasn't was in Sawa's 5 because we all know what happened

[@schioncalzanzi2019]

" White literature black literature" why can't there be an adjective that actually describes literature such as great literature or sad literature and so forth? That day will never come authentically if we as a people continue to make such description about literature or any other works. This perhaps only deepens and stretches the boundaries among humans in my humble opinion.

[@shelliainsworth]

would the first question you ask a writer of Gwendolyn Brooks caliber be 'do you enjoy working with children?' ugh.

[@franklinblunt69]

Why not? Children need appropriate influence & discipline, beside encouragement. Her response was surprising when she mentioned the children spoke about beer.

[@electrontube]

@@franklinblunt69 and pizza, and hair. It was a lovely response. she pays attention to children, it says a lot about her.

[@jamesclarkson5100]

So basically I have to compete against star Jones Queen Latifah Anne Oprah Winfrey

[@falanajerido875]

Margaret d. Never heard of her

[@franklinblunt69]

Gwendolyn Brooks was an influence during my youth; yet, she is still misunderstood & misinterpreted, beside heisted. She promotes respectful humanist ethics & values, individual pride & identity, finding own voice & expression beside reserving & applying own critical faculties, exposes hypocrisy, exploitation, & socio-economic disparities, imposes accountability, ... Miller obviously had an agenda, even after she indicated that people were complex & diverse, but he continued baiting her as representing the so-called black community (he does not get her message & criticisms, aspirations or inspirations), but she is so clever & graceful, I hope that she took him aside for correction. Among aberrant conditions include promoting so-called racial equity (beside supposed diversity or such) that blatantly promotes perceived anti-whiteness, among other superficial identity characteristics, indulges & rife with bigotry, discrimination, prejudice, hypocrisy, exclusiveness, disparity, aberrant ethics, immorality, injustice, abuse, harm, injury, human & civil rights violations, dishonesty, misinforming propaganda, parasitic exploitation, oppression, & irresponsibility without requisite accountability. Angels will become deservedly vengeful, validated & empowered with righteous resolution to confront, condemn, & impose accountability; awful deceitful outright evil hypocrites amid aberrant conditions will unleash the Lucifer Effect upon slandering, persecuting, abusing & harming innocent people.

[@jamesclarkson5100]

What's 5000 - 2400

[@kikalina5181]

j

[@jamesclarkson5100]

Yall can forget The New York Times of best selling author ice skating because I actually wrote a poem remember that next time you try to tell me Orange background child

[@jamesclarkson5100]

My name is famali senegalize

[@jamesclarkson5100]

Oh so then you Got kids then as I'm just gonna proceed

[@jamesclarkson5100]

No wonder you're shaking like a Willow tree

[@vmfleming1]

Close your legs please....this is too distracting and so disrespectful on all accounts!

[@standupG1]

What? I was listening to the questions and the answers. Where is your focus?

[@andreatucker4377]

What the f are you talking about

[@judithgrace9850]

I felt the same way. Nasty.

[@jamesclarkson5100]

Oh my God do you think that pink Lisa can genuinely afford to be at a nightclub one time Amanda LApoor was upstaged

[@josephgms1328]

She looks like Morgan freeman no offence peace ✌️