Ntozake Shange

African American writer and performance artist (1948-2018)
Person human Q511742
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Ntozake Shange

Summary

Ntozake Shange is a human[1]. Her place of birth was Trenton[2]. She was born on October 18, 1948[3]. She passed away in Bowie[4]. She died on October 27, 2018[5]. She worked as an actor[6], screenwriter[7], poet[8], novelist[9], and playwright[10]. She ranks in the top 0.71% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (521 views/month, #7,122 of 1,000,298).[11]

Key Facts

  • Ntozake Shange was born in Trenton[2].
  • Ntozake Shange died in Bowie[4].
  • Ntozake Shange was born on October 18, 1948[3].
  • Ntozake Shange died on October 27, 2018[5].
  • Ntozake Shange was married to David Murray[12].
  • Ntozake Shange held citizenship in United States[13].
  • English was Ntozake Shange's native language[14].
  • Ntozake Shange is identified as part of the African Americans ethnic group[15].
  • Ntozake Shange worked as an actor[6].
  • Ntozake Shange's professions included screenwriter[7].
  • Ntozake Shange worked as a poet[8].
  • Ntozake Shange's professions included novelist[9].
  • Ntozake Shange's professions included playwright[10].
  • Ntozake Shange worked as a writer[16].
  • Ntozake Shange's field of work was poetry[17].
  • Ntozake Shange's field of work was essay[18].
  • Ntozake Shange's field of work was literature[19].
  • Ntozake Shange's field of work was drama[20].
  • Ntozake Shange was educated at Barnard College[21].
  • Ntozake Shange was educated at University of Southern California[22].
  • Ntozake Shange was educated at Trenton Central High School[23].
  • A notable work attributed to Ntozake Shange is for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf[24].
  • A notable work attributed to Ntozake Shange is Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo[25].
  • A notable work attributed to Ntozake Shange is Betsey Brown[26].
  • A notable work attributed to Ntozake Shange is Nappy edges[27].

Body

Origins and Family

Born in Trenton[2], Ntozake Shange… she was born on October 18, 1948[3]. She is identified as part of the African Americans ethnic group[15]. English was her native language[14].

Education

Educated at Barnard College[21], a liberal arts college[28], in United States[29], founded in 1889[30]; University of Southern California[22], a private university[31], in United States[32], founded in 1880[33], headquartered in Los Angeles[34]; and Trenton Central High School[23], a high school[35], in United States[36], founded in 1932[37].

Career and Affiliations

Recorded occupations include actor[6], screenwriter[7], poet[8], novelist[9], playwright[10], and writer[16]. Fields of work include poetry[17], a literary form[38]; essay[18], a literary genre[39]; literature[19], a type of arts[40]; and drama[20], a literary mode[41].

Works and Contributions

Notable works include for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf[24], a literary work[42]; Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo[25], a literary work[43]; Betsey Brown[26], a written work[44]; Nappy edges[27], a literary work[45]; and Liliane[46].

Recognition

Awards received include Guggenheim Fellowship[47], a fellowship grant[48], in United States[49], founded in 1925[50]; Langston Hughes Medal[51], a literary award[52], in United States[53], founded in 1973[54]; Shelley Memorial Award[55], a poetry award[56]; Otto Rene Castillo Award for Political Theater[57], an award[58]; and star on Playwrights' Sidewalk[59], a commemorative plaque[60].

Personal Life

Ntozake Shange was married to David Murray[12].

Death and Burial

Ntozake Shange died on October 27, 2018[5]. She died in Bowie[4]. The cause of death was cerebrovascular disease[61].

Why It Matters

Ntozake Shange ranks in the top 0.71% of human entities by monthly Wikipedia readership (521 views/month, #7,122 of 1,000,298).[11] She has Wikipedia articles in 11 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[62] She is known by 23 alternative names across languages and contexts.[63]

FAQs

Where was Ntozake Shange born?

Ntozake Shange was born in Trenton[2].

Where did Ntozake Shange die?

Ntozake Shange passed away in Bowie[4].

Who was Ntozake Shange married to?

Ntozake Shange's spouses include David Murray[12].

What did Ntozake Shange do for work?

Ntozake Shange worked as actor[6], screenwriter[7], poet[8], novelist[9], and playwright[10].

Where did Ntozake Shange go to school?

Ntozake Shange was educated at Barnard College[21], University of Southern California[22], and Trenton Central High School[23].

What awards did Ntozake Shange receive?

Honors received include Guggenheim Fellowship[47], Langston Hughes Medal[51], Shelley Memorial Award[55], and Otto Rene Castillo Award for Political Theater[57].

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. archive.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  2. [4] . blackpast.org. blackpast.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  3. [12] . wikidata.org.
  4. [13] . wikidata.org.
  5. [21] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. archive.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  6. [22] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. archive.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  7. [23] . wikidata.org.
  8. [17] . wikidata.org.
  9. [18] . wikidata.org.
  10. [19] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  11. [20] . Czech National Authority Database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  12. [14] . wikidata.org.
  13. [6] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  14. [7] . wikidata.org.
  15. [8] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [9] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. wikidata.org.
  17. [10] . The Feminist Companion to Literature in English. Retrieved . archive.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  18. [16] . American Women Writers. wikidata.org.
  19. [47] . Guggenheim Fellows database. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  20. [51] . wikidata.org.
  21. [55] . The Shelley Memorial Award Winners. psa.fcny.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  22. [57] . collections.barnard.edu. collections.barnard.edu. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  23. [59] . iobdb.com. iobdb.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  24. [15] . African American Dramatists. wikidata.org.
  25. [61] . wikidata.org.
  26. [3] . Integrated Authority File. Retrieved . blackpast.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  27. [5] . Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Retrieved . startribune.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  28. [24] . wikidata.org.
  29. [25] . wikidata.org.
  30. [26] . wikidata.org.
  31. [27] . wikidata.org.
  32. [46] . wikidata.org.

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [28] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [29] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [30] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [31] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [32] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  6. [33] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  7. [34] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  8. [35] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  9. [36] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  10. [37] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  11. [38] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  12. [39] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  13. [40] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  14. [41] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  15. [48] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  16. [49] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  17. [50] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  18. [52] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  19. [53] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  20. [54] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  21. [56] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  22. [58] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  23. [60] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  24. [42] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  25. [43] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  26. [44] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  27. [45] . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Class ancestry

  1. [1] . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [11] . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [62] . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [63] . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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APA 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph. (2026). Ntozake Shange. Retrieved April 10, 2026, from https://4ort.xyz/entity/ntozake-shange
MLA “Ntozake Shange.” 4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph, 4ort.xyz, 10 Apr. 2026, https://4ort.xyz/entity/ntozake-shange.
BibTeX @misc{4ortxyz_ntozake-shange_2026, author = {{4ort.xyz Knowledge Graph}}, title = {{Ntozake Shange}}, year = {2026}, url = {https://4ort.xyz/entity/ntozake-shange}, note = {Accessed: 2026-04-10}}
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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 12d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-20 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation actor, screenwriter, poet +5
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32116|batch #32116]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (29)"
  2. 23d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-09 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha
    Award received Guggenheim Fellowship, Langston Hughes Medal, Shelley Memorial Award +2
    Social media followers {'amount': '+2187'}
    Field of work poetry, essay, literature +1
    + 35 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ [[Property:P9984]]: 981061102558306706, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/257571|batch #257571]]"
Live feed via Wikidata EventStreams. New edits appear within minutes of being made on Wikidata.