Suzan-Lori Parks is an acclaimed American playwright and screenwriter known for her innovative works in theater and film. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 2002 for her play "Topdog/Underdog," a darkly comedic exploration of brotherhood and identity. Her contributions to the arts were further recognized with a MacArthur Foundation "Genius" Grant in 2001, cementing her status as a groundbreaking voice in contemporary drama.
Parks's writing often delves into themes of race, history, and personal struggle, blending poetic language with raw emotional intensity. Beyond her Pulitzer-winning work, she has penned numerous plays, including "In the Blood" and "Venus," which reimagine classic narratives through a modern lens. Her collaborations extend to screenwriting, where she has adapted both her own works and original projects for film and television. Married to blues musician Paul Oscher, Parks continues to influence the literary and theatrical landscape with her distinctive storytelling.
Standalone Novels
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Getting Mother's Body
2003
Plays
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Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
The America Play and Other Works
1995
2
Imperceptible Mutabilities in the Third Kingdom
1995
3
Venus
1997
4
In the Blood
2000
5
The Red Letter Plays
2001
6
Topdog/Underdog
2001
7
365 Days / 365 Plays
2006
8
Father Comes Home From the Wars
2015
9
The Book of Grace
2016
10
100 Plays for the First Hundred Days
2018
11
The Death of the Last Black Man in the Whole Entire World
2019
12
White Noise
2021
13
Fucking A
2022
14
Plays for the Plague Year
2022
Suzan-Lori Parks Anthologies
#
Title
Year
Goodreads
Amazon
1
Moon Marked & Touched by Sun
1994
2
Colored Contradictions
1996
3
The Fire This Time
2002
4
Suzan-Lori Parks in Person: Interviews and Commentaries
2013
5
The Oberon Anthology of Contemporary American Plays: Volume Two