Sterling D. Plumpp facts for kids

Sterling Dominic Plumpp, born on January 30, 1940, is an American poet, teacher, and writer. He has written many books of poetry and non-fiction. Some of his well-known works include Hornman (1996), Harriet Tubman (1996), and The Mojo Hands Call, I Must Go (1982). His poetry has been featured in important collections like The Best American Poetry 1996. He also helped with a TV documentary called The Promised Land. In 2019, he received the Fuller Award for his amazing lifetime achievements in literature.

Early Life and Education

Sterling Plumpp was born in Clinton, Mississippi. He grew up with his grandparents, Mattie and Victor Emmanuel Plumpp. They lived and worked on a cotton farm as sharecroppers. Sterling and his brother helped in the fields. They did not start school until they were eight or nine years old. This was because they had to walk 10 miles to get there.

When he was 16, Plumpp became a Catholic. He later earned a scholarship to St. Benedict's College in Atchison, Kansas. There, he discovered ancient Greek literature and the writings of James Baldwin. These works inspired him to become a writer. After two years, he left college. In 1962, he moved north to Chicago, Illinois.

In Chicago, Plumpp first found work at a post office. He then enrolled at Roosevelt University. He studied psychology and continued to read many books. He earned his first degree in 1968 and a master's degree in 1971.

Writing Career and Themes

Plumpp's first book of poems, Portable Soul, was published in 1969. Since then, he has written many more poetry collections. He has also edited and contributed to various other books. In 1972, he published a non-fiction book called Black Rituals. This book explored how African Americans expressed their beliefs and culture.

Plumpp once said that he wanted to show how African Americans believed and expressed themselves. He looked at how ideas of beauty and art appeared in movements like the Harlem Renaissance and the Black Arts Movement. He often connects his writing to his roots in rural Mississippi. He describes himself as a "Black peasant" who learned to read and moved north but kept his southern heritage.

His book Clinton won an Illinois Arts Council Literary Award in 1975. In 1983, he received the Carl Sandburg Literary Prize for his 1982 book, The Mojo Hands Call, I Must Go. A review of his 1993 collection, Johannesburg & Other Poems, said Plumpp was a rare poet who "looks with his ears." This means he pays close attention to sounds and language.

In 2014, his book Home/Bass won an American Book Award for Poetry.

Teaching and Later Life

In 1971, Plumpp began teaching African-American studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He became a full professor there. He taught literature and creative writing until he retired in December 2001. After retiring, he was given the title of professor emeritus.

The University of Mississippi now holds The Sterling D. Plumpp Collection. This collection contains many works by African and African American writers.

In September 2019, Sterling D. Plumpp received the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame's Fuller Award. This award honors his lifetime of great work in literature.

Awards and Honors

• 1975: Illinois Arts Council Literary Award
• 1983: Carl Sandburg Literary Award
• 2014: American Book Award for Poetry for Home/Bass
• 2019: Chicago Literary Hall of Fame's Fuller Award for lifetime achievement