Born in 1917, Gwendolyn Brooks was born into a world where political views and discrimination plagued every day. From a young age, she began writing poetry; by the age of thirteen, she had already published several poems in a nearby children's magazine. By the age of 16, she had already published seventy-five poems. She began submitting her work to the Chicago Defender, a leading African-American newspaper. Her work included ballads, sonnets, and free verse, drawing on the musical rhythms and content of inner-city Chicago, but she had not yet let the troubles of the world around her influence her writing. Later however, Brook's environment and times greatly influenced her writing as well as how she responded to them. Brooks attended three high schools during her schooling, and discrimination and racial treatment also added to her experiences as she recounted her years as a junior. college and her involvement in the NAACP, soon afterward she developed her craft in poetry workshops taught by Inez Cunningham Stark, a wealthy white woman with a strong literary background. The teamwork of Stark's workshop, all of whose participants were African-American, energized Brooks. His writings began to be taken seriously since in 1945 his first collection of poetry, A Street in Bronxville, immediately won literary recognition. A Bronxville street voiced its feelings about urban treatment of African Americans; “dedicated to small, concise, carefully celebrated portraits of the black urban poor” (Kent 173). This first volume of poetry recounts the dreams and disappointments of inner-city citizens. This work also presents his concerns for the next two decades: family life, war, the quest for content...... middle of paper...... time” (Lee 17). From that time until today, she has received a number of awards, friendships and honorary degrees, usually selected as Doctor of Humane Letters. She was also influential in the world of writing; “He admitted that it was an important book because it brought Brooks national and international fame. It also brought new income in the form of financial support for teaching and book review. ”(Baker 190). This quote from a fellow editor and critic shows how his writing and influence on the literary world for years to come. She has held jobs and positions around the world focused on publishing and teaching new writers and poets what she has learned from her life. “A writer should receive as much education as possible, but going to school is not enough; if that were the case, everyone with a doctorate would be an inspired writer. » - Gwendolyn Brooks (Brooks 24)