Lucille Clifton (1936 – 2010) was a poet, teacher, and children’s book author whose life and career began in western New York.  Here is a selection of 10 poems by Lucille Clifton, a small sampling of her prolific output.

Clifton’s widely respected poetry focuses on social issues, the Black American experience, and female identity. Her poetry has been praised for its wisdom and use of strong imagery; the way she constructed her poems’ lines even give meaning to the spacing of words.

Her poetry is recognizable for its purposeful lack of punctuation and capitalization. Read More→