Sonia Sanchez (born Wilsonia Benita Driver; September 9, 1934)[1] is an American poet, writer, and professor.

In the 1960s, Sanchez released poems in periodicals targeted towards African-American audiences, and published her debut collection, Homecoming, in 1969.

In 1993, she received Pew Fellowship in the Arts, and in 2001 was awarded the Robert Frost Medal for her contributions to the canon of American poetry.

When in Harlem, she learned to manage her stutter and excelled in school, finding her poetic voice, which later emerged during her studies at Hunter College.

Sanchez focused on the sound of her poetry, admitting to always reading it aloud, and received praise for her use of the full range of African and African-American vocal resources.

Sanchez pursued post-graduate studies at New York University (NYU), working closely with Louise Bogan.

The "Broadside Quartet" included other prominent Black Arts Movement artists such as Haki Madhubuti, Nikki Giovanni and Etheridge Knight.

Motherhood heavily influenced the motifs of her poetry in the 1970s, with the bonds between mother and child emerging as a key theme.

Sanchez published poetry and essays in numerous periodicals in the 1960s, including The Liberator, Negro Digest, and Black Dialogue.

[2] Sanchez gained a reputation as an important voice in the Black Arts Movement after publishing the book of poems Homecoming in 1969.

This collection and her second in 1970, titled We a BaddDDD People, demonstrated her use of experimental poetic forms to discuss the development of black nationalism and identity.

She also uses spelling to celebrate the unique sound of black English, for which she gives credit to poets such as Langston Hughes and Sterling Brown.

These poems make use of urban black vernacular, experimental punctuation, spelling, and spacing, and the performative quality of jazz.

Sanchez is currently among 20 African-American women to be a part of "Freedom's Sisters," a mobile exhibition initiated by the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Smithsonian Institution.

[18] In 2017, Sanchez was honored at the 16th Annual Dr. Betty Shabazz Awards in a ceremony held on June 29 at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem.

[19] In 2018, she won the Wallace Stevens Award from the Academy of American Poets for proven mastery of the art of poetry.

[22] In October 2021, Sanchez was awarded the 28th annual Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize "in recognition of her ongoing achievements in inspiring change through the power of the word.