Photo: DerSchwabel / CC BY-SA 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Suzan-Lori Parks is, to me, one of the most fearless voices in American theatre. Becoming the first Black woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, with Topdog/Underdog, was no fluke; her Guggenheim and MacArthur honors confirm a writer operating on a different frequency. What I admire most is her refusal to stay in one lane: playwright, novelist, screenwriter, film director. She bends language and form to dig at race, history, and American myth in ways that feel both playful and devastating. From Fort Knox, Kentucky to off-Broadway and the West End, she is exactly the kind of artist I want more people to read.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Suzan-Lori Parks
- Name (Japanese)
- スーザン＝ロリ・パークス
- Reading
- すーざん＝ろり・ぱーくす
- Born
- May 10, 1963 (age 63)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Taurus / Rabbit
- Origin
- Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States
- Occupation
- screenwriter / novelist / playwright / writer / film director
2. Background
- University
- Mount Holyoke College
Awards & achievements
- 2000 Guggenheim Fellowship
- 2001 MacArthur Fellows Program
- 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Drama
- 1993 Mount Holyoke College Mary Lyon Award
- 2018 Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes
- 2006 Eugene McDermott Award in the Arts at MIT
- 2003 honorary degree from Spelman College
- star on Playwrights' Sidewalk
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Red Letter Plays | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Suzan-Lori Parks born?
Born May 10, 1963 (age 63).
Where is Suzan-Lori Parks from?
Suzan-Lori Parks is from Fort Knox, Kentucky, United States.
What does Suzan-Lori Parks do?
Suzan-Lori Parks works as screenwriter, novelist, playwright, writer, film director.
What is Suzan-Lori Parks known for?
Notable works include The Red Letter Plays.
Screenwriter — see all → · Novelist — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public or unconfirmed items are omitted. English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.