Women Who Inspire Me

Sonia Sanchez (born Wilsonia Benita Driver in 1934) is a legendary American poet, playwright, professor, and activist. She is a seminal figure in the Black Arts Movement and is widely considered one of the most vital voices in contemporary poetry.

Here is a breakdown of her life, work, and legacy.

1. A Pillar of the Black Arts Movement

Emerging in the 1960s alongside contemporaries like Amiri Baraka and Nikki Giovanni, Sanchez used her art to advocate for Black liberation and cultural pride. She was one of the first scholars to introduce Black Studies courses at the university level (San Francisco State University), pioneering a curriculum that is now standard across the U.S.

Her early work was fiery and revolutionary, often using the vernacular of the streets and the rhythms of jazz to critique racism and sexism.

2. The Philadelphia Connection

While born in Alabama and raised in Harlem, Sanchez is deeply associated with Philadelphia, where she has lived since 1976.

• First Poet Laureate: She served as Philadelphia’s very first Poet Laureate (2012–2013).

• Temple University: She taught at Temple for decades, holding the Laura Carnell Chair in English until her retirement in 1999. She remains a beloved figure in the city’s cultural landscape.

3. Literary Style: Jazz, Blues, and Haiku

Sanchez is known for her innovative use of language. She does not just write for the page; she writes for the voice.

• Musicality: Her poetry often mimics the scatting of jazz or the moans of the blues. She is known for "performing" her poems with intense vocal fluctuations.

• Haiku: Surprisingly to some, she is a master of the Japanese haiku form. She uses this strict, short format to discuss expansive topics like civil rights, love, and African American history.

• Experimental Spelling: In works like We a BaddDDD People, she used non-standard spelling to capture the unique cadence and sound of Black speech.

4. Essential Works

If you are looking to explore her writing, these are considered her cornerstones:

• For Revolution: Homecoming (1969) – Her debut collection, marking her arrival as a major voice of the Black Arts Movement.

• For Prose & Poetry: Homegirls and Handgrenades (1984) – Won the American Book Award; a powerful mix of poetry and prose.

• For Epic Narrative: Does Your House Have Lions? (1997) – A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, this memoir-in-verse explores her brother’s battle with AIDS.

• For Mastery of Form: Morning Haiku (2010) – A beautiful collection showcasing her mastery of the haiku structure.

5. Activism

Sanchez has never separated her art from her politics. She was briefly a member of the Nation of Islam (leaving due to its treatment of women) and has spent her life advocating for the peace movement, women's rights, and racial justice.

Bibliography:

Poetry Collections

This is the core of her body of work, tracing her evolution from the fiery rhetoric of the 1960s to her later mastery of haiku and jazz-blues forms.

• 1969: Homecoming (Her debut)

• 1970: We a BaddDDD People

• 1973: Love Poems

• 1974: A Blues Book for Blue Black Magical Women

• 1978: I've Been a Woman: New and Selected Poems

• 1984: Homegirls & Handgrenades (Winner of the American Book Award)

• 1987: Under a Soprano Sky

• 1995: Wounded in the House of a Friend

• 1997: Does Your House Have Lions? (Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award)

• 1998: Like the Singing Coming off the Drums: Love Poems

• 1999: Shake Loose My Skin: New and Selected Poems

• 2010: Morning Haiku

• 2021: Collected Poems (A comprehensive retrospective of her career)

Plays

Sanchez was a key playwright in the Black Arts Movement, often writing experimental dramas that utilized avant-garde staging.

• 1969: Sister Son/ji

• 1970: The Bronx Is Next

• 1974: Uh, Huh: But How Do It Free Us?

• 1979: Malcolm Man/Don't Live Here No Mo'

• 1982: I'm Black When I'm Singing, I'm Blue When I Ain't

• 1995: Black Cats Back and Uneasy Landings

• 2010: I'm Black When I'm Singing, I'm Blue When I Ain't and Other Plays (Collection)

Books for Children

• 1971: It's a New Day: Poems for Young Brothas and Sistuhs

• 1973: The Adventures of Fat Head, Small Head, and Square Head

• 1980: A Sound Investment and Other Stories

Edited Anthologies

• 1971: Three Hundred and Sixty Degrees of Blackness Comin' at You

• 1973: We Be Word Sorcerers: 25 Stories by Black Americans

Note on a Common Mix-up: If you search for her books online, you might see titles like The Little Red Fort or Here I Am. These are illustrated by a different person named Sonia Sánchez (a Spanish illustrator), not the poet Sonia Sanchez.