Lucille Clifton (June 27, 1936 – February 13, 2010) was an American poet, writer, and educator from Buffalo, New York. From 1979 to 1985 she was Poet Laureate of Maryland. Clifton was a finalist twice for the

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...

for poetry.

Life and career

Lucille Clifton (born Thelma Lucille Sayles, in Depew, New York) grew up in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from Fosdick-Masten Park High School in 1953. She attended

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

with a scholarship from 1953 to 1955, leaving to study at the

State University of New York at Fredonia The State University of New York at Fredonia (alternatively SUNY Fredonia, Fredonia State, or Fredonia) is a public university in Fredonia, New York. It is the westernmost member of the State University of New York. Founded in 1826, it is the six ...

(near Buffalo).Holladay, Hilary, ''73 Poems for 73 Years'', James Madison University, September 21, 2010, p. 48. In 1958, Lucille Sayles married Fred James Clifton, a professor of philosophy at the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

, and a sculptor whose carvings depicted African faces. Lucille and her husband had six children together, and she worked as a claims clerk in the New York State Division of Employment, Buffalo (1958–60), and then as literature assistant in the Office of Education in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

(1960–71). Writer

Ishmael Reed Ishmael Scott Reed (born February 22, 1938) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, songwriter, composer, playwright, editor and publisher known for his Satire, satirical works challenging American political culture. Perhaps his best-known wor ...

introduced Lucille to Clifton while he was organizing the Buffalo Community Drama Workshop. Fred and Lucille Clifton starred in the group's version of ''

The Glass Menagerie ''The Glass Menagerie'' is a memory play by Tennessee Williams that premiered in 1944 and catapulted Williams from obscurity to fame. The play has strong autobiographical elements, featuring characters based on its author, his histrionic mo ...

'', which was called "poetic and sensitive" by the ''Buffalo Evening News''. In 1966, Reed took some of Clifton's poems to

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. An early innovator of jazz poetry, Hughes is best known as a leader of the Harl ...

, who included them in the second edition of his anthology ''The Poetry of the Negro'' (1970). In 1967, the Cliftons moved to

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

, Maryland. Her first poetry collection, ''Good Times'', was published in 1969, and listed by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' as one of the year's ten best books. A selection of sixteen poems from ''Good Times'' were featured in the '' Massachusetts Review'', Vol. 10, No. 1, her first publication. From 1971 to 1974, Clifton was poet-in-residence at Coppin State College in Baltimore. From 1979 to 1985, she was Poet Laureate of the state of

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

."Maryland Poets Laureate"
, webpage o
Maryland State Archives
. Retrieved May 27, 2007. From 1982 to 1983, she was visiting writer at the Columbia University School of the Arts and at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

. In 1984, her husband died of cancer. From 1985 to 1989, Clifton was a professor of literature and creative writing at the

University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California, United States. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of C ...

.Maryland State Archives and Maryland Commission for Women
"Lucille Clifton"
, Maryland Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 28, 2007. She was Distinguished Professor of Humanities at

St. Mary's College of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland (SMCM) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in St. Mary's City, Maryland.Maryland State Archives, Online Manual, "St. Mary's College Of Maryland: Origin & Fun ...

. From 1995 to 1999, she was a visiting professor at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. In 2006, she was a fellow at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

. She died in Baltimore on February 13, 2010. In 2019, daughter Sidney Clifton reacquired the family's home near Baltimore, aiming to establish the Clifton House as a place to support young artists and writers through in-person and virtual workshops, classes, seminars, residencies, and a gallery. The Clifton House received preservation funding through the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund.

Poetic work

Lucille Clifton traced her family's roots to the West African kingdom of

Dahomey The Kingdom of Dahomey () was a West African List of kingdoms in Africa throughout history, kingdom located within present-day Benin that existed from approximately 1600 until 1904. It developed on the Abomey Plateau amongst the Fon people in ...

, now the

Republic of Benin Benin, officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It was formerly known as Dahomey. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the north-west, and Niger to the north-east. The majority of its po ...

. Growing up, she was told by her mother, "Be proud, you're from Dahomey women!" She cites as one of her ancestors the first black woman to be "legally hanged" for manslaughter in the state of

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

during the time of

Slavery in the United States The legal institution of human chattel slavery, comprising the enslavement primarily of List of ethnic groups of Africa, Africans and African Americans, was prevalent in the United States of America from its founding in 1776 until 1865 ...

. Girls in her family are born with an extra finger on each hand, a genetic trait known as

polydactyly Polydactyly is a birth defect that results in extra fingers or toes. The hands are more commonly involved than the feet. Extra fingers may be painful, affect self-esteem, or result in clumsiness. It is associated with at least 39 genetic mut ...

. Lucille's two extra fingers were amputated surgically when she was a small child, a common practice at that time for reasons of superstition and social stigma. Her "two ghost fingers" and their activities became a theme in her poetry and other writings. Health problems in her later years included painful

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of pain in a red, tender, hot, and Joint effusion, swollen joint, caused by the deposition of needle-like crystals of uric acid known as monosodium urate crysta ...

which gave her some difficulty in walking. Often compared to

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

for her short line length and deft rhymes, Clifton wrote poetry that "examine the inner world of her own body", used the body as a "theatre for her poetry". After her uterus was removed, for example, she spoke of her body "as a home without a kitchen". In a Christian Century review of Clifton's work, Peggy Rosenthal wrote, 'The first thing that strikes us about Lucille Clifton's poetry is what is missing: capitalization, punctuation, long and plentiful lines. We see a poetry so pared down that its spaces take on substance, become a shaping presence as much as the words themselves.' Her series of children's books about a young black boy began with 1970's ''Some of the Days of Everett Anderson.'' Everett Anderson, a recurring character in many of her books, spoke in African-American English and dealt with real life social problems. Clifton's work features in anthologies such as ''My Black Me: A Beginning Book of Black Poetry'' (ed. Arnold Adoff), ''A Poem of Her Own: Voices of American Women Yesterday and Today'' (ed. Catherine Clinton), ''Black Stars: African American Women Writers'' (ed. Brenda Scott Wilkinson), ''

Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora ...

'' (ed.

Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's then youngest publisher as well as the first black female book p ...

), and ''Bedrock: Writers on the Wonders of Geology'' (eds Lauret E. Savoy, Eldridge M. Moores, and Judith E. Moores (

Trinity University Press Trinity University Press is a university press affiliated with Trinity University, which is located in San Antonio, Texas. Trinity University Press was officially founded in 1967 after the university acquired the Illinois-based Principia Press. T ...

). Studies about Clifton's life and writings include ''Wild Blessings: The Poetry of Lucille Clifton'' (LSU Press, 2004) by Hilary Holladay, and ''Lucille Clifton: Her Life and Letters'' (Praeger, 2006) by Mary Jane Lupton.

Early volumes

In 1969, Clifton published her first volume of poetry, ''Good Times,'' which drew inspiration from her six young children at the time. The book would go on to make the ''New York Times'' list of the best books of the year. Three years later in 1972, Clifton published her second volume, ''Good News About the Earth: New Poems''. The

Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is a United States literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthrop ...

has noted that this work pointed towards the trend Clifton would develop in her career of not shying away from social and political issues in her writing as she paid tribute to Black political leaders. Moving into her third collection, Clifton began investigating her identity as a woman and as a poet with ''An Ordinary Woman'' just two years later in 1974.

''Two-Headed Woman'': "homage to my hips"

In 1980, Clifton published "homage to my hips" in her book of poems, ''Two-Headed Woman''. ''Two-Headed Woman'' won the 1980 Juniper Prize and was characterized by its "dramatic tautness, simple language … tributes to blackness, ndcelebrations of women", which are all traits reflected in the poem "homage to my hips". This particular collection of poetry also marks the beginning of Clifton's interest in depicting the "transgressive black body". "homage to my hips" was preceded by the poem "homage to my hair" – and acts as a complementary work that explores the relationship between African-American women and men and aimed to reinvent the negative stereotypes associated with the black female body. "Homage to my hips" and "homage to my hair" both relate the African-American body to mythological powers – a literary technique common among many literary works by African-American women. Jane Campbell poses the idea that "the specific effect of mythmaking upon race relations … constitutes a radical act, inviting the audience to subvert the racist mythology that thwarts and defeats Afro-Americans, and to replace it with a new mythology rooted in the black perspective." Therefore, Clifton utilizes "homage to my hips" to celebrate the African-American female body as a source of power, sexuality, pride, and freedom.

''Quilting: Poems 1987–1990''

Published in 1991, this collection of Clifton's treated a quilt as an extended metaphor for life, with each poem representing a different story that is "stitched" into the collection The poems are divided into sections getting their names from different quilting techniques.

''The Book of Light''

In 1993, Clifton's newest collection dived head first into wrestling with bigotry, social justice, and human rights. This collection is marked by a controversial poem addressing U.S. Senator Jesse Helms who had a reputation of "actively opposing civil rights, voting rights, disability rights, women's rights and gay rights". ''Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems 1988–2000'' In 2000, Clifton published this book, which compiles four of her previous collections along with new poems. The book delves into Clifton's personal fight against breast cancer as well as involves itself with mythology, religion, and the legacy of slavery. In "dialysis", Clifton writes "after the cancer i was so grateful/ to be alive. i am alive and furious. / Blessed be even this?"
Clifton uses this book--and much more of her work--to defy stereotypes and misconceptions of African-American women. She also writes about abortion and death in this book with poems like "the lost baby poem", where she writes "eyes closed when they should have been open/ eyes open when they should have been closed/ will accuse me for unborn babies/and dead trees."

Awards and recognition

Lucille Clifton received a Creative Writing Fellowships from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

in 1970 and 1973, and a grant from the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outrea ...

. She received the Charity Randall prize, the Jerome J. Shestack Prize from the '' American Poetry Review'', and an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

. Her children's book ''Everett Anderson's Good-bye'' won the 1984

Coretta Scott King Award The Coretta Scott King Award is an annual award presented by the Coretta Scott King Book Award Round Table, part of the American Library Association (ALA). Named for Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr., this award recognizes o ...

. In 1988, Clifton became the first author to have two books of poetry named finalists for one year's

. (The award dates from 1981, the announcement of finalists from 1980.) She won the 1991/1992

Shelley Memorial Award The Shelley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need, and is ...

, the 1996

Lannan Literary Award for Poetry The Lannan Literary Awards are a series of awards and literary fellowships given out in various fields by the Lannan Foundation. Established in 1989, the awards are meant "to honor both established and emerging writers whose work is of exceptional ...

, and for ''Blessing the Boats: New and Collected Poems 1988–2000'' the 2000

National Book Award for Poetry The National Book Award for Poetry is one of five annual National Book Awards, which are given by the National Book Foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by US citizens. They are awards "by writers to writers".

. From 1999 to 2005, she served on the Board of Chancellors of the

. In 2007, she won the

Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize The Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize is awarded annually by The Poetry Foundation, which also publishes ''Poetry'' magazine. The prize was established in 1986 by Ruth Lilly. It honors a living U.S. poet whose "lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordin ...

; the $100,000 prize honors a living U.S. poet whose "lifetime accomplishments warrant extraordinary recognition". When awarding Clifton with this prize, judges remarked: One always feels the looming humaneness around Lucille Clifton's poems—it is a moral quality that some poets have and some don't." This testifies to Clifton's reputation as a poet whose work focuses on overcoming adversity, family, and endurance from the perspective of an African-American woman. In 2010, Clifton received the Robert Frost Medal for lifetime achievement from the

Poetry Society of America Poetry (from the Greek word '' poiesis'', "making") is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. Any partic ...

Works

Poetry collections

*''Good Times'', New York: Random House, 1969 *''Good News About the Earth'', New York: Random House, 1972 *''An Ordinary Woman'', New York: Random House, 1974) *''Two-Headed Woman'',

University of Massachusetts Press The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The press was founded in 1963, publishing scholarly books and non-fiction. The press imprint is overseen by an interdisciplinar ...

, Amherst, 1980 *''Good Woman: Poems and a Memoir: 1969–1980'', Brockport: BOA Editions, 1987 — finalist for the 1988

*''Next: New Poems'', Brockport: BOA Editions, Ltd., 1987 — finalist for the 1988

"Fiction"
''Past winners & finalists by category''. The Pulitzer Prizes. Retrieved April 8, 2012. *''Ten Oxherding Pictures'', Santa Cruz: Moving Parts Press, 1988 *''Quilting: Poems 1987–1990'', Brockport: BOA Editions, 1991, *''The Book of Light'', Port Townsend:

Copper Canyon Press Copper Canyon Press is an independent, non-profit small press, founded in 1972 by Sam Hamill, Tree Swenson, Bill O'Daly, and Jim Gautney, specializing exclusively in the publication of poetry. It is located in Port Townsend, Washington. Copper C ...

, 1993 *''The Terrible Stories'', Brockport: BOA Editions, 1996 *''Blessing The Boats: New and Collected Poems 1988–2000'', Rochester: BOA Editions, 2000, ; Paw Prints, 2008, —winner of the

National Book Award The National Book Awards (NBA) are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. ...

"National Book Awards – 2000"

National Book Foundation The National Book Foundation (NBF) is an American nonprofit organization established with the goal "to raise the cultural appreciation of great writing in America." Established in 1989 by National Book Awards, Inc.,Edwin McDowell. "Book Notes: ...

. Retrieved April 8, 2012. (With acceptance speech by Clifton and essay by Megan Snyder-Kamp from the Awards 60-year anniversary blog.) *''Mercy'', Rochester: BOA Editions, 2004, *''Voices'', Rochester: BOA Editions, 2008, *''The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton'', Rochester: BOA Editions, 2012,

Children's books

Partnership in Education program DVIDS1107233

* ''Three Wishes'' (Doubleday) * ''The Boy Who Didn't Believe In Spring'' (Penguin) * ; Reprint Yearling Books, * ''The Times They Used To Be'' (Henry Holt & Co) * ''All Us Come Cross the Water'' (Henry Holt) * ''My Friend Jacob'' (Dutton) * ''Amifika'' (Dutton) * ''Sonora the Beautiful'' (Dutton) * ''The Black B C's'' (Dutton) * ''The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children''. Introduction by Lucille Clifton (San Val)

The Everett Anderson series

* ''Everett Anderson's Goodbye'' (Henry Holt) * ''One of the Problems of Everett Anderson'' (Henry Holt) * ''Everett Anderson's Friend'' (Henry Holt) * ''Everett Anderson's Christmas Coming'' (Henry Holt) * ''Everett Anderson's 1-2-3'' (Henry Holt) * ''Everett Anderson's Year'' (Henry Holt) * ''Some of the Days of Everett Anderson'' (Henry Holt) * ''Everett Anderson's Nine Month Long'' (Henry Holt)

Nonfiction

*''Generations: A Memoir'', New York: Random House, 1976,

References

External links

Clifton's Page at BOA Editions

Biography and critical appreciation of her work, and links to poems
at the Poetry Foundation.

for the WGBH series
New Television Workshop

for the WGBH series
New Television Workshop

"Jean Toomer's Cane and the Rise of the Harlem Renaissance"
Essay by Lucille Clifton.

, PBS, September 8, 2006. (Audio)
Recorded in Los Angeles, CA, on May 21, 1996
From Lannan (Video 45 mins).

University of Illinois
Profile from Academy of American Poets
* * FBI file on Lucille Clifton {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifton, Lucille 1936 births 2010 deaths 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers 21st-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century American women writers African-American history of Maryland African-American poets American people of Beninese descent American women academics American women poets Columbia University faculty Howard University alumni National Book Award winners People with polydactyly Poets from Maryland Poets from New York (state) Poets laureate of Maryland St. Mary's College of Maryland faculty State University of New York at Fredonia alumni University of California, Santa Cruz faculty Writers from Buffalo, New York Writers from Maryland Coretta Scott King Award winners