<p><strong>August Wilson</strong> was the most iconic African American playwright of the late-twentieth century, most known for the Century Cycle, a series of ten plays set in the Hill District of Pittsburgh. Of these, <em>Fences</em> earned him a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award in 1987, and another Pulitzer Prize in 1990, for <em>The Piano Lesson</em>. In 1996,<em> Seven Guitars</em> premiered on the Broadway stage, followed by <em>King Hedley II</em> in 2001 and <em>Gem of the Ocean</em> in 2004.</p>
Romulus Linney (1930-2011) is the author of 3 novels as well as 13 full-length plays and 22 short plays, which have been produced in theatres across the U.S. and Europe. He received National Endowment for the Arts fellowships; Guggenheim, Rockefeller and National Foundation for the Arts grants; and an Obie award. A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, he was a member of the Ensemble Studio Theatre and the Fellowship of Southern Writers.