George Elliott Clarke (born February 12, 1960) is a Canadian poet, playwright and literary critic who served as the Poet Laureate of Toronto from 2012 to 2015 and as the Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate in 2016-2017. Clarke's work addresses the experiences and history of the Black Canadian communities of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

and

New Brunswick New Brunswick is a Provinces and Territories of Canada, province of Canada, bordering Quebec to the north, Nova Scotia to the east, the Gulf of Saint Lawrence to the northeast, the Bay of Fundy to the southeast, and the U.S. state of Maine to ...

, creating a cultural geography coined "Africadia."

Life

Clarke was born to William and Geraldine Clarke in

Windsor, Nova Scotia Windsor is a community located in Hants County, Nova Scotia, Hants County, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a service centre for the western part of the county and is situated on Nova Scotia Highway 101, Highway 101. The community has a history d ...

, near the

Black Loyalist Black Loyalists were people of African descent who sided with Loyalists during the American Revolutionary War. In particular, the term referred to men enslaved by Patriots who served on the Loyalist side because of the Crown's guarantee of fr ...

community of Three Mile Plains and grew up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He graduated from Queen Elizabeth High School in 1978. He earned a BA honours degree in English from the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

(1984), an MA degree in English from

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

(1989) and a PhD degree in English from Queen's University (1993). He has received honorary degrees from

( LL.D.), the

University of New Brunswick The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...

( Litt.D.), the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

(Litt.D.), the

(Litt.D.), and Saint Mary's University (Litt.D). He taught English and Canadian Studies at

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

from 1994 to 1999 and was appointed the Seagrams Visiting Chair in Canadian Studies at

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

for the academic year 1998-1999. In 1999, he became professor of English at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

where in 2003, he was appointed the inaugural E J Pratt Professor of Canadian Literature. Clarke has also served as a Noted Scholar at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

(2002), as a visiting scholar at

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Mount Allison was the first university in the British Empire to award a baccal ...

(2005) and as the William Lyon Mackenzie King Visiting Professor in Canadian Studies at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

(2013–14); and outside of the academic sphere, as a researcher for the

Ontario Provincial Parliament The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada), Members of Provincial P ...

(1982–83), editor of the Imprint (

, 1984–85) and The Rap ( Halifax, 1985–87), social worker for the Black United Front of Nova Scotia (1985–86), parliamentary aide to Howard McCurdy (1987–91) and newspaper columnist for the Halifax '' Daily News'' (1988–89). Clarke is active in poetry circles throughout Canada, the US, the Caribbean and Europe. He is also a founding member of the music collective Afro-Métis Nation, which put out its first album, ''Constitution'', in May 2019. The group derives its name from the artists' mixed Africadian and

Mi'kmaq The Mi'kmaq (also ''Mi'gmaq'', ''Lnu'', ''Mi'kmaw'' or ''Mi'gmaw''; ; , and formerly Micmac) are an Indigenous group of people of the Northeastern Woodlands, native to the areas of Canada's Atlantic Provinces, primarily Nova Scotia, New Bru ...

descent. Clarke has described the group's sound as "a mash-up of southern-fried blues and saltwater spirituals, with Nashville guitars, Mi’kmaw-and-“African” drums, Highland bagpipes and Acadien fiddles."

Writing career

Clarke has self-published much of his work, including seventeen collections of poetry, two novels and four works of drama and opera. He has also served as editor for collections of African-Canadian writers and poets in anthologies and studies such as ''Border Lines'' (1995), ''Eyeing the North Star'' (1997), ''Odysseys Home'' (2002), ''Fire on the Water'' (2002), ''Directions Home'' (2012) and ''Locating Home'' (2017). His work draws upon a range of literary and artistic traditions (both "high" and "low") and is inclusive of political, historical and spatial themes. His artistic influences include

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th century music, 20th-century music. Davis ado ...

Ezra Pound Ezra Weston Loomis Pound (30 October 1885 – 1 November 1972) was an List of poets from the United States, American poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Ita ...

, Pierre Elliott Trudeau and

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

. His poetic and academic careers overlap in their particular emphasis on the perspectives of the African descendants in Canada and

especially the African-American slaves’ descendants who settled on the East coast of Nova Scotia, whom he calls "Africadian." He writes that it is a word that he "minted from 'Africa' and 'Acadia' (the old name for Nova Scotia and

), to denote the Black populations of the Maritimes and especially of Nova Scotia." Some of his poetry has also been set to music by the a cappella gospel quartet Four the Moment. He views "Africadian" literature as "literal and liberal—I canonize songs and sonnets, histories and homilies."Clarke, George Elliott, ''Fire on the Water: Anthology of Black Nova Scotian Writing, Volume One'' (1991), Porters Lake,

: Pottersfield Press. Clarke has stated that he found further writing inspiration in the 1970s and his "individualist poetic scored with implicit social commentary" came from the "Gang of Seven" intellectuals, "poet-politicos: jazz trumpeter

, troubadour-bard

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, libertine lyricist Irving Layton, guerrilla leader and poet

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; traditionally Romanization of Chinese, romanised as Mao Tse-tung. (26December 18939September 1976) was a Chinese politician, revolutionary, and political theorist who founded the People's Republic of China (PRC) in ...

, reactionary modernist

, Black Power orator

and the Right Honourable Pierre Elliott Trudeau." Clarke found "as a whole, the group's blunt talk, suave styles, acerbic independence, raunchy macho, feisty lyricism, singing heroic and a scarf-and-beret chivalry quite, well, liberating." His poetry and scholarship address and challenge historic encounters with racism, segregated areas, discrimination, hatred, forced relocation and a loss of a sense of identity and belonging experienced by the Black populations of Canada. In his anthology, ''Fire On The Water'', Clarke uses a biblical timeline stretching from Genesis to Psalms and Proverbs to Revelation to present Black writings and authors born within a specific period. These names reflect the Africadians’ and other Black peoples’ forebears and the first singers' own preferences for singing "the Lord’s song in this strange land." In his book, ''These Are the Words'', a collaboration with Canadian poet John B. Lee, Clarke translates one of the nine books of the Bible's apocrypha into English vernacular. In his 2007 play, ''Trudeau: Long March, Shining Path'', Clarke describes Pierre Trudeau as "the Shakespearean character: a figure about whom it is almost impossible to say anything definitive because he is encompassed by so many contradictions, but that’s what makes him interesting." In presenting a multicultural Trudeau on the international stage, Clarke seeks to capture the human dimensions, the personality of Trudeau, rather than his politics, so as to emphasize the dialogues among key characters and "show the people as people, not just exponents of ideas." In 2012 Clarke was given substantial critical recognition in a volume devoted to the body of his writing, ''Africadian Atlantic: Essays on George Elliott Clarke'', edited by Joseph Pivato. In his 2016 and 2017 collections of poems, the names of which, ''Canticles I (MXXVI)'' and ''Canticles I (MMXVII)'', are a reference to

's The Cantos and The Song of Solomon, Clarke puts famous thinkers, explorers and rulers of the 17th, 18th and 20th centuries into a dialogue on slavery and heritage. Together, these collections make up the first part of a projected three-part epic. Canticles II: MMXIX was released in 2019. In his time as Poet Laureate of Toronto, Clarke created the Poets' Corner at City Hall, and worked with the Toronto Public Library to create the Toronto Poetry Map, an electronic map of the city that marks all sites referenced in Canadian poetry and presents the relevant lines to the viewer. He also founded the East End Poetry Festival. Clarke is also the first Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate to have his poems recited in the Houses and recorded in Hansard.

Family

Clarke is a great-nephew of the late Canadian opera singer Portia White, politician Bill White and labour union leader

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...

. A seventh-generation African Canadian, Clarke is descended from African-American refugees from the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

who escaped enslavement in America and were relocated to Nova Scotia. He is the great-grandson of William Andrew White, an American-born Baptist preacher and missionary, army chaplain and radio pioneer, who was one of the very few black officers in the British army worldwide during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. Clarke also has Mi'kmaq Indigenous ancestry.

Awards and merits

In 1998, Clarke won the Portia White Prize for Artistic Achievement. In 2001, he won the Governor General's Award for poetry for his book ''Execution Poems,'' as well as the National Magazine Gold Medal for Poetry. He has also won the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award (2004), the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellowship Prize (2005-2008), the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction (2006), and the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Poetry (2009). Clarke was appointed to the Order of Nova Scotia in 2006 and to the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

, at the rank of Officer, in 2008. On January 16, 2008, Clarke was made an honorary Fellow of the Haliburton Literary Society, the oldest literary society in North America, at the University of King's College, Halifax; and in 2009, he was a co-recipient of the William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations from the City of Toronto for his achievements and commitment in making a distinct difference in racial relations in Toronto. Clarke was chosen expressly for "his local and national leadership role in creating an understanding and awareness of African and black culture and excellence in his contribution to redefining culture." In November 2012, Clarke became Toronto's fourth Poet Laureate. In January 2016, Clarke became Canada's seventh Parliamentary Poet Laureate. In 2018, thanks to a gift from Ms. Rebecca Gardiner, the George Elliott Clarke Scholarship Fund was established at Duke University. His 2021 book ''J'Accuse! (Poem versus Silence)'' was shortlisted for the 2022 ReLit Award for poetry."15 poetry books shortlisted for 2022 ReLit Awards"
CBC Books, May 2, 2022. In 2022, Clarke was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal for his significant service to the province of Nova Scotia in the field of the Arts.

Publications

* "To Paris, Burning," In Constance Rooke (ed.), ''Writing Away: the PEN Canada Travel Anthology'', McClelland & Stewart Inc., 1994. * Kamboureli, Smaro (1996), ''Making a Difference: Canadian Multicultural Literature''. Toronto: Oxford University Press, pp. 491 * Tracey, Lindalee (1999), ''A Scattering of Seeds: The Creation of Canada''. Toronto: McArthur & Company. * '' Africadian Atlantic: Essays on George Elliott Clarke''. ed. Joseph Pivato. Toronto: Guernica Editions, 2012.

Poetry

* 1983: ''Saltwater Spirituals and Deeper Blues'', Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia: Pottersfield. * 1990: ''

Whylah Falls ''Whylah Falls'' is a long narrative poem (or " verse novel") by George Elliott Clarke, published in book form in 1990. As with much of Clarke's work, the poem is inspired by the history and culture of the Black Canadian community in Nova Scot ...

'', Vancouver: Polestar, (revised edition, 2000, ) * 1994: ''Lush Dreams, Blue Exile: Fugitive Poems 1978–1993''. Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia: Pottersfield. * 1999: ''Gold Indigoes''. Durham: Carolina Wren, * 2001: ''Execution Poems: The Black Acadian Tragedy of George and Rue''. Wolfville, Nova Scotia: Gaspereau Press, * 2001: ''Blue''. Vancouver: Polestar, * 2001: ''Blue II'', A Trestle Chapbook in ''Running With Scissors'', Montréal: Cumulus Press, * 2005: ''Illuminated Verses''. Toronto: Canadian Scholars' Press, * 2006: ''Black''. Vancouver: Polestar, * 2008: ''Blues and Bliss: The Poetry of George Elliott Clarke''. Wilfrid Laurier University Press, * 2009: ''I & I''. Fredericton: Goose Lane, * 2011: ''Red''. Gaspereau Press, * 2013: ''Lasso the Wind: Aurélia’s Verses and Other Poems''. Illus. Susan Tooke. Nimbus Books, * 2013: ''Illicit Sonnets''. Eyewear Publishing, * 2014: ''Traverse''. Exile Editions, * 2015: ''Extra Illicit Sonnets''. Exile Editions, * 2016: ''Gold''. Gaspereau Press, * 2016: ''Canticles I (MMXVI)''. Guernica Editions, * 2017: ''Canticles I (MMXVII)''. Guernica Editions, * 2017: ''The Merchant of Venice (Retried)''. Kentville, Nova Scotia: Gaspereau Press. * 2018: ''These Are the Words''. Collaboration with John B. Lee. Hidden Book Press, *2019: ''Portia White: A Portrait in Words''. Nimbus Publishing, *2021: ''J'Accuse! (Poem versus Silence)''

Plays

* 1999: ''Whylah Falls: The Play''. Toronto: Playwrights Canada, * 1999: '' Beatrice Chancy''. Vancouver: Polestar, * 2003: ''Québécité''. Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Gaspereau Press, * 2007: ''Trudeau: Long March, Shining Path''. Kentville, Nova Scotia: Gaspereau Press,

Novels

* 2005: '' George and Rue''. Toronto: HarperCollins, / * 2016: ''The Motorcyclist''. Toronto: HarperCollins

Memoir

* 2021: ''Where Beauty Survived'' Written Anthologies * 2023: ''Whiteout: How Canada Cancels Blackness'' Nova Scotia, Véhicule Press, ISBN 9781550656077

Anthologies edited

* 1991: ''Fire on the Water: An Anthology of Black Nova Scotian Writing, Volume One''. Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia: Pottersfield, * 1992: ''Fire on the Water: An Anthology of Black Nova Scotian Writing, Volume Two''. Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia: Pottersfield, * 1995: ''Border Lines: Contemporary Poems in English''. Edited by J.A. Wainwright, George Elliot Clarke and others. Mississauga, Ont.: Copp Clark, 1995. * 1997: ''Eyeing the North Star: Directions in African-Canadian Literature''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1997 * 2018: ''Locating Home: The First African-Canadian Novel and Verse Collections''. Tightrope Books, 2018.

Criticism

* 2002: ''Odysseys Home: Mapping African-Canadian Literature''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, * 2011: ''Directions Home: Approaches to African-Canadian Literature''. Toronto: University of Toronto Press,

Awards

* 1979: Honourable Mention, Atlantic Writing Competition (Adult Poetry), Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia * 1981: First Prize, Atlantic Writing Competition (Adult Poetry), Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia * 1983: Second Prize, Bliss Carman Poetry Award,

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (formerly Banff Centre) is an arts and culture educational institution in Banff, Alberta, Banff, Alberta. It offers arts programs in the Performing arts, performing and fine arts, as well as leadership trai ...

* 1991: Archibald Lampman Award for Poetry, Ottawa Independent Writers * 1998: Portia White Prize, Nova Scotia Arts Council * 1998: Bellagio Center Fellow,

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

, New York City * 1999: Alumni Achievement Award,

* 2002:

Governor General's Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

for Poetry, for ''Execution Poems'' * ''National Magazine'' Gold Award for Poetry * 2004: Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award, Black Theatre Workshop * 2006: Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellowship Prize, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation * 2006: Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction * 2006: Frontieras Poesis Premuil rize ''Poesis Magazine'', International Poetry Festival, Satu Mare, Romania * 2006: Order of Nova Scotia * 2007: Longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award, for '' George and Rue'' * 2008: Officer of the

* 2009: Shortlisted, Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction * 2010: Shortlisted, Acorn-Plantos Award for People's Poetry * 2012: Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from

Acadia University Acadia University is a public, predominantly Undergraduate education, undergraduate university located in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, Canada, with some Postgraduate education, graduate programs at the master's level and one at the Doctorate, doctor ...

* 2012: Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal * 2012: Excellence in the Arts Award (Canadian Civil Liberties Association) * 2012: Appointed by the

Toronto City Council Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The Toronto City Council 2022–2026, current term began on Nove ...

to the post of Poet Laureate of Toronto * 2016: Appointed by The

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

to the post of Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate * 2017: Lifetime Achievement Award,

Alumni Association * 2017: Trailblazers Award: National Black Canadians Summit, Federation of Black Canadians & Michaëlle Jean Foundation * 2017: Elected, Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society

References

External links

George Elliott Clarke Papers University of Toronto
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, George Elliott 1960 births Living people 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian poets Academic staff of the University of Toronto Black Nova Scotians Canadian librettists Canadian literary critics Canadian male dramatists and playwrights Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian male novelists Canadian male poets Canadian parliamentary poets laureate Canadian people of African-American descent Canadian people of American descent Dalhousie University alumni Duke University faculty Governor General's Award–winning poets Members of the Order of Nova Scotia Officers of the Order of Canada People from Windsor, Nova Scotia Poets laureate of Toronto Queen's University at Kingston alumni University of Alberta alumni University of Waterloo alumni Poets from Nova Scotia Black Canadian poets Black Canadian dramatists and playwrights Black Canadian novelists Novelists from Toronto