How old is Lucille Clifton?
Search more than 3,000 biographies of contemporary and classic poets. Lucille Clifton was born in Depew, New York, on June 27, 1936. Her first book of poems, Good Times (Random House, 1969), was rated one of the best books of the year by the New York Times.
Where did Lucille Clifton go to college?
Lucille Clifton has been honored many times throughout her career. She has earned honorary degrees from the University of Maryland and Towson State University. She was the poet in residence at Coppin State College in Baltimore between 1971 and 1974.
How many poems did Lucille Clifton write?
Lucille Clifton (1936 – 2010) was a poet, teacher, and children’s book author whose life and career began in western New York. Her poetry is recognizable because of its purposeful lack of punctuation and capitalization. Here is a selection of 10 poems by Lucille Clifton, a small sampling of her prolific output.
What did Anne Clifton do after she became a writer?
Clifton remained employed in state and federal government positions until 1971, when she became a writer in residence at Coppin State College in Baltimore, Maryland, where she completed two collections: Good News About the Earth (Random House, 1972) and An Ordinary Woman (Random House, 1974).
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Where did Lucille Clifton grow up?
BuffaloLucille Clifton was born in 1936 in DePew, New York, and grew up in Buffalo. She studied at Howard University, before transferring to SUNY Fredonia, near her hometown.
What was Lucille Clifton most famous poem?
homage to my hipsOne of Clifton's most famous poems, “homage to my hips,” is about the celebration and acceptance of her body, and it has been accepted as a rallying cry for body positivity and self-love.
What was Lucille Clifton childhood like?
Born in 1936 in Depew, New York, Clifton was the daughter of a steelworker and a laundress. Although not formally educated beyond elementary school, Clifton's parents taught their daughter much that would serve her well later in life. Her mother wrote poetry, which was read to Clifton and her three siblings.
What type of poet is Lucille Clifton?
Clifton's widely respected poetry focuses on social issues, the African-American experience, and the female identity. Her poetry has been praised for its wise use of strong imagery, and lines that have even given the spacing of words meaning.
What is the lost baby poem about?
A woman reminisces about and with a child she chose not to have. It would have been born in winter, in a time of financial hardship, perhaps to have been given up for adoption. Sorrow for the child that never was causes the woman to swear devotion to her living children, yet she does not seem to regret her decision.
What kind of poem is won't you celebrate with me?
Clifton's poem is a sonnet.
Where did Lucille Clifton attend college?
Howard UniversityState University of New York...Lucille Clifton/College
What did Lucille Clifton study in college?
She began her studies as a drama major and appeared in the production “Amen Corner” written by a young James Baldwin. After two years at Howard, Clifton transferred to Fredonia State Teachers College in 1955. In California, she continued to pursue her love of the theater by working some as an actor.
What influenced Lucille Clifton?
The combination of these early influences inspired Clifton to begin writing verse at age 10. Thelma encouraged her daughter's early efforts, which imitated the works of Edna St. Vincent Millay and Emily Dickinson. Clifton would later apply a pithy style and mischievous wit, like Dickinson's, in her own work.
How old is Lucille Clifton?
73 years (1936–2010)Lucille Clifton / Age at death
When did Lucille Clifton start writing?
Clifton was born in Depew, New York, in 1937. She published her first book of poems, “Good Times,” in 1969, and in the early seventies began publishing what eventually amounted to twenty-two children's books, most which imagined a boy named Everett Anderson.
What is Alice Walker most famous poem?
Revolutionary Petunias A National Book Award finalist, these verses published in 1976 are Alice Walker's most visceral reactions to the Civil Rights movement, a period that she herself influenced through words and advocacy.
What was Rita Dove most famous poem?
Her famous work to date is 'Thomas and Beulah', published in 1986, a collection of poems based on the lives of her maternal grandparents, for which she received the Pulitzer Prize in 1987.
What is Alice Walker most famous poem?
Revolutionary Petunias A National Book Award finalist, these verses published in 1976 are Alice Walker's most visceral reactions to the Civil Rights movement, a period that she herself influenced through words and advocacy.
What was Gwendolyn Brooks most famous poem?
Annie AllenReflecting African-American life It was an auspicious beginning, as this poetry collection led to her winning a Guggenheim Fellowship. The epic, book-length poem Annie Allen (1949) earned Brooks a Pulitzer Prize in 1950, making her the first African-American to win this award.
For what audience did she write more than 16 books?
Clifton was also the author of Generations: A Memoir (Random House, 1976) and more than sixteen books for children, written expressly for an African-American audience.
Who is Lucille Clifton?
Lucille Clifton, American poet whose works examine family life, racism, and gender. Good Times (1969) was her first of numerous poetry collections. In 2007 she received the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. Learn more about Clifton’s life and career, including her academic appointments.
What books did Clifton write?
Clifton’s many children’s books, written expressly for an African Americanaudience, include All Us Come Cross the Water (1973), Three Wishes( 1976), and My Friend Jacob (1980). She also wrote an award-winning series of books featuring events in the life of Everett Anderson, a young Black boy. These include Some of the Days of Everett Anderson(1970), Everett Anderson’s Goodbye (1983), and One of the Problems of Everett Anderson (2001).
When did Lucille Clifton die?
Mary’s College of Maryland. After a long battle with cancer, Lucille Clifton died on February 13, 2010, at the age of seventy-three.
What was the first book of Clifton?
Her first book of poems, Good Times (Random House, 1969), was rated one of the best books of the year by the New York Times. Clifton remained employed in state and federal government positions until 1971, when she became a writer in residence at Coppin State College in Baltimore, Maryland, where she completed two collections: Good News About ...
Who is Rita Dove?
Clifton was also the author of Generations: A Memoir (Random House, 1976) and more than sixteen books for children, written expressly for an African-American audience. Of her work, Rita Dove has written: “In contrast to much of the poetry being written today—intellectualized lyricism characterized by an application of inductive thought ...
What is Lucille Clifton known for?
Born in 1936, she is often read alongside fellow writers in the Black Arts and second-wave feminist movements, such as Nikki Giovanni and Audre Lorde, because of the stories Clifton told about Black life, family, and womanhood. Best known for anthems of triumph and self-definition, such as “won’t you celebrate with me,” Clifton was a prolific poet who wrote fearlessly about a range of important topics. Her signature lyric style is brief, sharp, and unshowy. Her language is direct and uncapitalized yet often mystical in its resonance, full of mystery and surprise. Toni Morrison, the editor of Clifton’s memoir Generations, might have put it best, writing that Clifton’s verse was “seductive with the simplicity of an atom” but also “highly complex, explosive underneath an apparent quietude.” Her humility emanated from a radical commitment to the democratic, a belief that “any stone / can sing” and “your tongue / is useful / not unique.” But she nonetheless cut an authentic and distinctive swath through 20th- and 21st-century poetry, and her work continues to influence contemporary poets from Danez Smith to francine j. harris to Craig Morgan Teicher. The following poems, organized chronologically, offer a brief introduction to a towering figure in US poetry.
Where did Benjamin Voigt grow up?
Benjamin Voigt grew up on a small farm in upstate New York. His poems have appeared (or are forthcoming) in ZYZZYVA, Poetry Northwest, and Sycamore Review. His reviews and interviews have appeared in Kenyon Review, The Rumpus, and Pleiades. He earned an MFA in poetry from the University of Alabama,...
Childhood
Lucille Clifton was born in 1930s. The 1930s were called the Great Depression (1929-1939). It was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. Despite the Great Depression, Hollywood and popular film production flourished.
Education
Lucille’s Thelma Lucille Sayles attended Fosdick-Masten Park High School and Howard University, Visiting Writer, Columbia University (1995-99), State University of New York at Fredonia.
Family
Lucille Clifton’s mother’s name is unknown at this time and her father’s name is under review. We will continue to update information on Lucille Clifton’s parents.
Personal Life
Like many famous people and celebrities, Lucille Clifton kept her personal life private. Once more details are available, we will update this section.
Horoscope
Zodiac Sign: Lucille Clifton was a Cancer. People of this zodiac sign like home-based hobbies, relaxing near or in water, helping loved ones, and dislike strangers, revealing of personal life.
Enoch Pratt Free Library
When Lucille Clifton served as trustee of the Enoch Pratt Free Library from 1974 to 1985, her oldest daughter, Sidney Clifton, described it as one of many places her mother would have had contact with young writers and library patrons in the city of Baltimore.
Landscapes and Localities Outside the City of Baltimore
Lucille Clifton did not drive, but that didn’t mean she was not a traveler of sorts. Whether in her writing, using the Baltimore hack taxi system to run errands, or sitting in the passenger side while her husband, Fred, drove, Clifton explored other places in and around the city of Baltimore. One such place was Randallstown.
The Clifton House
Sidney Clifton described her mother as a woman who was deeply intuitive and connected to sources of information and inspiration that were unseen. A pivotal place for her to develop this intuitive nature was at the family’s home in Baltimore.
Who is Lucille Clifton?
Lucille Clifton (1936 – 2010) was a poet, teacher, and children’s book author whose life and career began in western New York. Her poetry is recognizable because of its purposeful lack of punctuation and capitalization. Here is a selection of 10 poems by Lucille Clifton, a small sampling of her prolific output.
What is Lucille Clifton's poetry about?
Clifton’s widely respected poetry focuses on social issues, the African-American experience, and the female identity. Her poetry has been praised for its wise use of strong imagery, and lines that have even given the spacing of words meaning.
What does Elizabeth Alexander say about Clifton?
Poet Elizabeth Alexander praises Clifton’s use of strong language in her poetry , which was often spare and brief. Robin Becker of The American Poetry Review states that Clifton emphasizes the human element and morality of her poetry that’s amplified by the use of improper grammar. Clifton was devoted to expressing the painful history ...
