August Wilson, Playwright
- Bio: 1945-2005; born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; dropped out of high school at 15 after being accused of plagiarism; taught himself and read widely in the following years, often noting on coffee shop napkins ideas for poems and characters; inspired by the Black Arts Movement; helped to found Pittsburgh’s Black Horizons Theatre (1968); met with significant success with Jitney and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom; known for The American Century Cycle (also called The Pittsburgh Cycle), a group of 10 plays that reveal the Black experience in America from the 1900s to the 1990s; received two Pulitzer Prizes (for The Piano Lesson and Fences)
- Other Works: Jitney (1982); Fences (1987); The Piano Lesson (1990); Gem of the Ocean (2003)
- Awards: Tony Award for Best Play (1985); Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Play (1985); New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award for Best Play (1985)