I planned to write about Lucille Clifton farther in advance of her appearance here in Portland this coming Sunday, April 6th. But I didn't. So, instead of a deeper look into who she is and why she is important and why you should see her if you can, I decided to do a brief introduction for those who don't know and provide a couple audio links to listen to some of her work.
The very brief bio is that Lucille Clifton's first book was written and published while four of her six children were still in diapers. She has been nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize (two of them were nominated in the same year), was Maryland's Poet Laureate, and has published a long list of books and poems. An amazing person and wonderful writing.
I need to go to my partner's art openings now, so I will let you see for yourself. And I'm sure I will be inspired to write more after I've seen her Sunday night. If you browse around on the internet, you can find more links to audio files of her reading and discussing her work. There are even a couple of videos on YouTube which feature her work in pieces by other artists.
Here are a few links to get exposure to her work:
homage to my hips
Lucille Clifton Reads Her Poetry (Library of Congress webcast)
the mississippi river enters into the gulf