2012 Philadelphia Book Festival

“Sanchez has long been regarded as the city's unofficial poet laureate. But now the job is truly hers,” wrote the Philadelphia Inquirer after acclaimed activist Sonia Sanchez’s appointment, at the end of 2011, as the city’s very first poet laureate. The recipient of numerous awards and the former Laura Carnell Professor of English and Women’s Studies at Temple University, Sanchez is the author of several plays, children’s books, and nearly 20 collections of poetry including the American Book Award winner, Homegirls and Handgrenades. Called “a lion in literature’s forest” by Maya Angelou, Sanchez uses black dialect as a poetic vehicle and writes elegantly on topics like bigotry, poverty, and drug abuse. Mayor Nutter has said of her new position, “Ms. Sanchez exemplifies the role a poet can play in helping to define a city and helping its citizens discover beauty."

Supported by the Independence Foundation