As a teacher, Brooks went above and beyond for her students, making sure they were exposed to many types of literature and purchasing them tickets to local poetry readings. As Brooks wrote in this letter to an eighth-grade teacher, “If you’re influencing children, you must encourage them to read many kinds of books.” Throughout her career, Brooks continued to support younger writers both financially and educationally.
John Stanger
Letter to Gwendolyn Brooks with Brooks’s response, 1990–92
Purchased on the Drue Heinz Fund for Twentieth-Century Literature, 2020; MA 23730.4
Reprinted By Consent of Brooks Permissions