Suzan-Lori Parks

Suzan-Lori Parks is a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and musician recognized for her contributions to American theater. Parks made history as the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her Broadway play "Topdog/Underdog." Her work is known for blending fantasy, humor, history, and legend, with a distinctive use of African American vernacular speech. Parks's plays often address themes of race, gender, family, and society, prompting audiences to reconsider cultural narratives. She has been named to TIME Magazine's 100 Innovators for the Next New Wave and has established a significant presence in contemporary theater.

Parks began her academic journey at Mount Holyoke College, studying English and German literature. Encouraged by a professor, she joined a writing workshop led by James Baldwin, who suggested she explore playwriting. After graduation, Parks studied acting at Drama Studio London before moving to New York City, where she produced her early works in local venues.

Her first full-length play, "Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom," premiered at Brooklyn Arts and Culture Association and won the Obie Award for Best New American Play. Parks continued to write notable works, including "The America Play," "Venus"—which earned her a second Obie Award—and screenplays for Spike Lee's "Girl 6" and "Their Eyes Were Watching God." "Topdog/Underdog" debuted at the Public Theater and later moved to Broadway, earning the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play.

Parks's project "365 Days/365 Plays," in which she wrote a play each day for a year, was produced in more than 700 theaters worldwide. She has written extensively for film and television, including the screenplay for "The United States vs. Billie Holiday" and serving as showrunner and head writer for the television series "Genius: Aretha," which received multiple Primetime Emmy Award nominations. Her adaptation of Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical, and her play "Father Comes Home From the Wars" was a Pulitzer Prize finalist. "Topdog/Underdog" also received the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play.

Parks has been inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame and is Writer in Residence at the Public Theater as well as a professor at New York University. Her play "Sally & Tom" explores the relationship between Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, combining historical and contemporary narratives. With a career spanning stage and screen, Parks continues to influence American drama, playwriting, and screenwriting.