Carolyn M. Rodgers grew up on Chicago’s South Side. She attended Roosevelt University and the University of Chicago. She founded Third World Press in 1967 with Haki Madhubuti, Johari Amini, and Roschell Rich, and then began Eden Press with a grant from the Illinois Arts Council. Rodgers has worked as a social worker through the YMCA and taught at various colleges. Her poetry addresses feminist issues, including the role of black women in society, though her work has evolved from a militant stance to one more focused on the individual and Christianity.