Aubrey in Wonderland

Via the National Women’s History Museum: On this day in 1950, Gwendolyn Brooks became the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for poetry, for her collection Annie Allen. Langston Hughes, reviewing the book, said "the people and poems in Gwendolyn Brooks’ book are alive, reaching, and very much of today." 

Annie Allen follows a young African-American girl as she grows to adulthood — the middle section, a mock-heroic epic called “The Anniad” (a play on “The Aenead”) is online here, and here’s a stanza to whet your appetite:

HAITI: Not all masquerades require masks, or occur in Africa. In the Haitian port city of Jacmel three boys become Pa Wowo—painted, coconut-leaf-skirted peasants who personify poverty—for the spring carnival. 

“I spent a great deal of my life being ignored. I was always very happy that way. Being ignored is a great privilege. That is how I think I learnt to see what others do not see and to react to situations differently. I simply looked at the world, not really prepared for anything.” —Saul Leiter