Dominique de Menil Lecture

Suzan-Lori Parks credits her writing teacher and mentor, James Baldwin, with starting her on the path of playwriting. One of the first to recognize Parks’ writing skills, Baldwin declared Parks “an astonishing and beautiful creature who may become one of the most valuable artists of our time.” His words were prophetic: Parks is not only a MacArthur “Genius” Award recipient but also the first African-American woman to receive the Pulitzer Prize for drama.