Poet, educator, and social activist Gwendolyn Brooks was a singular force in American culture. The first black woman to be named United States poet laureate, Brook's poetry, fiction, and social commentary shed light on the beauty of humanity, the distinct qualities of black life and community, and the destructive effects of racism, sexism, and class inequality. A collection of thirty essays combining critical analysis and personal reflection, The Whiskey of Our Discontent , presents essential elements of Brooks' oeuvre--on race, gender, class, community, and poetic craft, while also examining her life as poet, reporter, mentor, sage, activist, and educator. Quraysh Ali Lansana has written and edited more than a dozen books to include BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip Hop . He teaches writing at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Georgia A. Popoff is a poet, educator, and editor, whose third collection is Psalter: The Agnostic's Book of Common Curiosities . She coauthored Our Difficult Sunlight: A Guide to Poetry, Literacy, and Social Justice in Classroom and Community , with Quraysh Ali Lansana.