Masters of Poetry: Lucille Clifton

How best to describe the greatness of Lucille Clifton? She composes “physically small poems with enormous and profound inner worlds” (New Yorker) and champions a “poetics of understatement” (American Poetry Review). She celebrates black womanhood in her work in a way that feels intimate and inclusive. She was prolific, publishing more than 30 books in her lifetime (children’s books and poetry collections). In 1987, she enjoyed the rare honor of having 2 books nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. Her success paved the way for other women poets of color. About her legacy, she said, “I would like to be seen as a woman whose roots go back to Africa, who tried to honor being human. My inclination is to try to help.”