Sanchez has won the American Book Award and the Robert Frost Medal, and held a Pew Fellowship in the Arts. Influenced by jazz, the blues and the oral tradition, Sanchez’s poetry readings and performances have inspired generations of poets and audiences alike. A founder of the Black Arts Movement, Sanchez is the author of more than 16 books. Does Your House Have Lions? was nominated for both the NAACP Image and National Book Critics Circle Award.