August Wilson

August Wilson (April 27, 1945-October 2, 2005) was born in Pittsburgh in 1945. Wilson attended three different high schools but did not complete his degree because the curriculum was not challenging for him; instead, he read on his own at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh and was later given an honorary high school diploma. Wilson moved to St. Paul in 1978 where he wrote scripts for the Science Museum of Minnesota. A few years later, he received a Jerome Fellowship to put on his first play and remained an influential member of the theater community until his death in 2005.

Jitney, Wilson’s first play, began the Pittsburgh Cycle, ten plays exploring African-American life, each set in a different decade of the 20^th century. His plays include Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and the Pulitzer Prize winners Fences and The Piano Lesson. Wilson drew on his experiences of poverty and racism, keen observation of people and history, and his love of art, music, and literature for the works that would make him a prominent playwright.