Gwendolyn Brooks lived a long, distinguished life marked by her continuous devotion to writing the poetry of her people. Later in life she became a poet of social protest, joining in the principal currents of African-American poetry in the last third of the 20th century. Studied works include "The Mother," "The Bean Eaters," "We Real Cool," "Riot," "Queen of the Blues," and "Bronzeville Woman in a Red Hat." This series is edited by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University; Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Professor of English, New York University Graduate School. History’s greatest poets are covered in one series with expert analysis by Harold Bloom and other critics. These texts offer a wealth of information on the poets and their works that are most commonly read in high schools, colleges, and universities.