From Gwendolyn Brooks To avery r. young: Chicago’s Black Poetry Scene Then And Now episode artwork

EPISODE · Feb 12, 2026 · 28 MIN

From Gwendolyn Brooks To avery r. young: Chicago’s Black Poetry Scene Then And Now

from In the Loop with Sasha-Ann Simons · host WBEZ Chicago

Between the 1930s and ’50s, Chicago was a hub for Black writers, poets and creatives – an era known as the Chicago Black Renaissance. A number of great literary, music and art names came out of Chicago during this renaissance – including Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wright, Margaret Walker, Nat King Cole, Langston Hughes and many more.In the Loop dives into Chicago’s poetry scene then and now, with Chicago Public Library’s division chief of Archives and Special Collections Chianta Dorsey, Chicago’s first Poet Laureate avery r. young and Sudanese-American poet and archivist Israa Abbas.For a full archive of In the Loop interviews, head over to wbez.org/intheloop.

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From Gwendolyn Brooks To avery r. young: Chicago’s Black Poetry Scene Then And Now

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