Other Facts

-Sanchez has visited and lectured at over 500 universities and colleges of higher learning in the United States. She has traveled the world, reading and presenting her work in Africa, Cuba, England, the Caribbean, Australia, Nicaragua, the People's Republic of China, Norway, and Canada.

-She has been bestowed many honors and awards including the Community Service Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators, the Lucretia Mott Award, the Outstanding Arts Award from the Pennsylvania Coalition of 100 Black Women, the Peace and Freedom Award from Women International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), the Pennsylvania Governor's Award for Excellence in the Humanities, a National Endowment for the Arts Award, and a Pew Fellowship in the Arts.

-Sanchez was once married to poet Etheridge Knight, and was also married to (and divorced) to a Puerto Rican immigrant named Albert Sanchez, whose surname she took as a writer.

Biographical Timeline

1934 - Born Wilsonia Benita Driver on September 9, in Birmingham, Alabama.

1943 - Moves to Harlem with her sister to live with their father.

1955 - Earns her B.A. in political science from Hunter College; does postgraduate study at New York University.

1950's - 1960's - Starts up a writing workshop in Greenwich Village of New York City with writers Leroi Jones (later known as Amiri Baraka), Don L. Lee (later known as Haki R. Madhubuti, and Larry Neal; formed the "Broadside Quartet" with Nikki Giovanni, Madhubuti, and Etheridge Knight.

1960's - Gets involved in activism work by supporting the ideas of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

1965 - Begins teaching career in San Francisco at the Downtown Community School, followed by a position at what is now San Francisco State University.

1969 - Publishes her first book of poetry, Homecoming.

1971 - Converts to and joins the Nation of Islam; also publishes her first work for children,  It's  A New Day: Poems for Young Brothas and Sistuhs.

1976 - Leaves the Nation due to her being tired of the repression of women.

1977 - Begins teaching at Temple University where she later becomes the first Presidential Fellow and holds the post of Laura Carnell Chair in English.

1999 - Retires from her career in education.

2007 - Re-publishes a new edition of her volume from the 1980's Homegirls and Handgrenades.


2010 - Publishes Morning Haiku, her collection of poetry in over 10 years since Shake Loose My Skin, through Beacon Press.