Dolores Kendrick (September 7, 1927 – November 7, 2017) was an American poet, and served as the second

Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia The Poet Laureate of the District of Columbia of the official Poet Laureate, poet of the District of Columbia. The Poet Laureate is officially appointed by the Mayor of the District of Columbia and the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. The p ...

. Her book ''The Women of Plums: Poems in the Voices of Slave Women'' won the

Anisfield-Wolf Award The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award is an American literary award dedicated to honoring written works that make important contributions to the understanding of racism and the appreciation of the rich diversity of human culture. Established in 1935 by Clev ...

Biography

Dolores Teresa Kendrick was born on September 7, 1927, in Washington, DC. to parents Josephine, a musician and teacher, and Robert "Ike", founder and publisher of the Capitol Spotlight. She grew up in the

LeDroit Park LeDroit Park ( or ) is a neighborhood in Washington, D.C. located immediately southeast of Howard University. Its borders include W Street to the north, Rhode Island Avenue and Florida Avenue to the south, Second Street NW to the east, and Howar ...

neighborhood near

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

. She attended Dunbar High School where she began writing poetry, and went on to Miners Teachers College to study English. She earned a master's degree in linguistics from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1970 as part of the Experienced Teacher Fellowship Program. She designed the humanities curriculum for D.C.'s School Without Walls. In 1963 she received a Fulbright exchange in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Kendrick was a Vira I. Heinz Professor Emerita at

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

. She adapted ''The Women of Plums'' for the theater, which won the 1997 New York New Playwrights Award.Dolores Kendrick biography
Bowzerbird.com; accessed November 11, 2017. She adapted ''The Women of Plums'' into a CD, ''The Color of Dusk'', with Wall Matthews and Aleta Greene. Kendrick died at her

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

home on November 7, 2017, aged 90, from complications of cancer.

Works

*''Through the Ceiling'', Paul Breman Limited, 1975 *''Now Is the Thing to Praise'', Lotus Press, 1984, *''The Women of Plums: Poems in the Voices of Slave Women'', Phillips Exeter Academy Press, 1990, *''Why the woman is singing on the corner: a verse narrative'', Peter E. Randall Publisher, 2001,

Awards and honors

* 1963: Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program, Belfast, Northern Ireland * 1965: Deep South Writers' Award for narrative poem "Freddie" * 1967: Visiting Master, 'Iolani School, Honolulu, Hawai'i * 1981: Poet-in-Residence at Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massachusetts * 1988: Creative Writing Fellowship,

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal ...

* 1990:

Anisfield-Wolf Book Award The Anisfield-Wolf Book Award is an American literary award dedicated to honoring written works that make important contributions to the understanding of racism and the appreciation of the rich diversity of human culture. Established in 1935 by Clev ...

for ''The Women of Plums'' * 1997: New York New Playwrights Award for her stage adaptation of ''The Women of Plums'' * 1999: Named

* 2005: Inducted into the Washington, D.C. Hall of Fame in the cultural arts category

References

External links

*
"The 3-minute interview: Dolores Kendrick"
''The Washington Examiner'', Scott McCabe, January 31, 2008
A Poem for Mom, Set to Her Favorite Opera
NPR, May 9, 2005

* ttps://www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=4068 "Poetry of Levine & Kendrick".The Library of Congress Webcasts. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kendrick, Dolores 1927 births 2017 deaths American women poets African-American poets Catholic poets Deaths from cancer in Washington, D.C. Georgetown University alumni Poets from Washington, D.C. Poets Laureate of the District of Columbia Phillips Exeter Academy faculty American women educators 20th-century American women 21st-century American women 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American women 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets