June Jordan (1936-2002) was a poet, essayist, journalist, dramatist, activist, and educator known for challenging oppression through her inspirational words and actions. She was the founder of Poetry for the People at the University of California, Berkeley, where she taught for many years. The author of over twenty books, her poetry is collected in 
Directed by Desire; and her selected essays in 
Some of Us Did Not Die. 
Sapphire burst on to the literary scene in 1994 with 
American Dreams. She is also the author of 
Black Wings & Blind Angels and 
Push, which was made into the 2009 award-winning motion picture 
Precious.