Great Regulars: In 1950, [Gwendolyn] Brooks became the first

African-American author to win the Pulitzer Prize with a poetry collection titled "Annie Allen," which chronicled the experiences of a black woman from childhood to adulthood. In a review of the book, poet Langston Hughes wrote, "the people and poems in Gwendolyn Brooks' book are alive, reaching, and very much of today."

from findingDulcinea: Happy Birthday: Gwendolyn Brooks, First African-American Pulitzer Prize Winner

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Allen Ginsberg helped launch a literary revolution in the United States during the mid-20th century. As a central figure in the Beat generation, Ginsberg's work dealt primarily with the taboo subjects of drug use and sexuality. His poem "Howl" landed him in court for obscenity, and his victory there helped expand the boundaries of what constituted acceptable literature in the U.S.

from findingDulcinea: Happy Birthday: Allen Ginsberg, Beat Poet

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[Federico García Lorca] imagination was always well developed; according to the Moonstruck Drama Bookstore, as a child, he carried on conversations with inanimate objects, which he infused with individual personalities. He also studied music at an early age, and in his teens, he wrote his first poems and recited them at local cafés.

Despite the encouragement of his music teacher, Federico was strongly inclined toward literature.

from findingDulcinea: Happy Birthday: Federico García Lorca, Spanish Poet and Playwright

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