Arts & Entertainment

Returning to Chicago for Poetry Prize, Patti Smith Looks Back on Local Roots and Eclectic Career

Only one member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also won a National Book Award.

Patti Smith won the honor for her memoir “Just Kids,” recounting her life with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Now, she has a new prize from Chicago’s Poetry Foundation.

The Pegasus Awards – also known as the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize – were awarded to 11 people this year. Along with Smith, the winners include Sandra Cisneros and Nikki Giovanni.

Smith sat down with “Chicago Tonight” to talk poetry, performance, and her early years in Chicago.

Read more: 10 Things You Might Not Know About Chicago-Born Patti Smith

Note: This article was updated with the correct number of prize winners.

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