From sociological research to books of poetry, from block parties to podcasts, plays, children’s books, and even Marvel comics, Eve L. Ewing’s, Ed.M. ’13, Ed.D. ’16, work is rooted in an enduring focus on community engagement.

Ewing, lifelong Chicagoan, sociologist at the University of Chicago, and graduate of Harvard’s Graduate School of Education, describes her “one project with many parts” as an effort to reframe conversations to center those who are often left out — people of color, low-income communities, those who have been most impacted by years of social, political, and economic injustices yet remain excluded from the dialogue and narrative surrounding them. “Real inclusivity,” says Ewing, “means an understanding of history and an understanding of power. And a radical willingness to address those things with courage.”

Ewing’s is a commitment rooted to a place and its people. Raised in Chicago and a graduate of its public school system (which later became the subject of her scholarship), Ewing is unwavering in her dedication to her hometown. Although the themes she explores in her work, like systemic racism, are hardly unique to the city, Ewing often chooses to address them through the lens of Chicago — to tell its stories, uplift its heroes, and imagine its future.

“It’s the notion of just literally writing about the street where you live and the people around you and your experiences,” Ewing explains, citing Chicago literary icon Gwendolyn Brooks as an early role model who exemplifies this ethic. “[This idea has] been really instructive in my life. … I see myself as part of a literary legacy that is really deeply rooted here, and I [try] to create work that is representative of and accountable to people in Chicago.”

Take Ewing’s recent book of poetry, “1919,” which grapples with the bloody Chicago riots triggered by the lynching of a black teen at an unofficially segregated beach, aiming to bring the history out of academic circles to a more popular audience (it also includes a teaching guide). Or consider “No Blue Memories,” a multimedia play celebrating Gwendolyn Brooks that was performed, for free, for public school students and others throughout Chicago. Perhaps the best example, though, is the annual Chicago Poetry Block Party, which Ewing co-founded with two fellow Chicagoans, poet Nate Marshall and Poetry Foundation director of community and foundation relations Ydalmi Noriega.