Carolyn Rodgers was a poet, essayist, playwright and author whose literary works thrived in the black arts movement of the 1960s. A longtime resident of Chicago’s Hyde Park neighborhood, Rodgers’ famous works “Paper Soul,” “Songs of a Black Bird” and “How I got Ovah” made her a voice of black struggle, feminism and equality. Rodgers helped to found the famous Third World Press in the 1960s, which later led to Eden Press, her own publishing company. A former social worker for the YMCA, Rodgers would be criticized for her use of slang and profanity in her work. During the black arts movement, many male leaders considered her expression inappropriate for a woman. For instance, she titled one of her poems “The Last M.F.” which was meant to respond to the criticism, and begin the decrease in her verses’ use of curse words. In December 1967, Rodgers and fellow scribes Haki R. Madhubuti and Johari Amini met in an apartment basement on Chicago’s South Side to found Third World Press. Thirty-five years later, the company continues to thrive in a multi-million dollar facility. After she published “Songs of a Blackbird,” Rodgers received and an award from the National Endowment of the Arts in 1970. She wrote the off-Broadway play “Love” in the 1980s. Over the years, Rodgers published works for teachers and friends – Pulitzer-prize winning author Gwendolyn Brooks, also Sonia Sanchez, Sterling Plump and Pearl Cleage. Her work has been quoted by Oprah Winfrey and was performed on stage in 1982 by Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis. Rodgers passed away from cancer in April 2010 at age 69. A public memorial was held in her honor.
