A Celebration of Sonia Sanchez

Hunter College will host legendary poet and alumna Sonia Sanchez ’55 on December 9 to celebrate her extraordinary career and recent 90th birthday. “An Evening with Sonia Sanchez” will feature a reading from the poet and tributes from renowned verse writers.

A pioneering figure in the Black Arts Movement, Sanchez for decades has captivated audiences with her powerful poetry, plays, and essays. Her work has been recognized with some of literature’s most important awards, including the American Book Award, the Langston Hughes Medal, and the Robert Frost Medal. Sanchez is also a Hunter Hall of Famer and received an honorary doctor of humane letters from Hunter in 2007.

The poets who will offer their insights and appreciation of Sanchez at the tribute include:

• Ama Birch, Hunter College professor and author of several collections, including Sonnet Boom!

• Rachel Eliza Griffiths, author of Mule & Pear and Seeing the Body, and winner of the 2021 Hurston-Wright Legacy Award in Poetry.

• Quincy Troupe, a celebrated author whose works includes collaborations with Miles Davis and Chris Gardner and who is the recipient of the American Book Award for Lifetime Literary Achievement.

Sanchez will read after the tributes.

Please note, as a special feature to this event, the Bertha and Karl Leubsdorf Gallery in Hunter College’s West Building lobby will be open at special hours (4–6 pm) on that Monday, Dec. 9. The current exhibit is devoted to Acts of Art, a gallery by and for Black artists that operated in Greenwich Village from 1969 to 1975. Sonia Sanchez has read at the gallery and has ties to at least a couple of the artists represented in the Hunter exhibition. All are invited to view this exhibition.

RSVP to attend this event.