Ntozake Shange (1948-2018) was an acclaimed American playwright, poet, and novelist. She is best known for her Obie Award-winning play, "for colored girls who have considered suicide/when the rainbow is enuf". Shange's work was largely focused on race, gender, and identity issues. Her other works include the novels Sassafrass, Cypress & Indigo and Liliane, and the plays Spell No. 7 and Boogie Woogie Landscapes.