Memorials for poet Lucille Clifton (1936-2010)
The tributes for poet Lucille Clifton, who died Saturday, keep coming in, and the eloquence will continue at three memorial services in her honor. A small gathering for relatives and close friends will be held Thursday, at noon, at the Wilde Lake Interfaith Center in Columbia, Md. A second will be held Saturday, April 10, at 7:30 p.m. at Montgomery Hall, St. Mary's College of Maryland, where she taught from 1989 to 2007. Meanwhile, the Poetry Society of America, which was to have given Clifton its Centennial Frost Medal during a ceremony on April 1 at the National Arts Club in New York City, plans to go ahead with the event, turning it into a series of tributes from fellow poets and friends.
In a release from St. Mary's, Michael S. Glaser, former professor of English and a former Maryland poet laureate himself, said, “Lucille Clifton was among the very best of American poets. Her poems had a profound impact on many readers in many lands because she was a courageous truth teller. Her work is graced with compassion, generosity, and light.”
That release included more tributes from St. Mary's. Among them:
Larry Vote, acting president of the college: “Lucille Clifton taught and inspired generations of poets, including many students at St. Mary’s College. She was beloved by the faculty, staff, and community. She brought to campus many poets of international renown, creating a legacy and special love of poetry that exists to this day, and was a great teacher and friend to the college. Lucille Clifton’s presence continues to be tangible on campus with her poetry adorning both the Campus Center and in a special installation encircling St. John’s Pond. She will forever be a significant part of the college’s history.”
Colombian-born Henry Arango ’10, who came to the U.S. at age eight and has written poetry ever since: “As someone who has experienced marginalization, I was drawn to Lucille's work, which embraced and encouraged me to continue to give voice to my experience. Outside of her work, Lucille was able to invoke the nurturing feelings so familiar of a daughter, mother or grandmother, the people who we look to comfort us and cast their blanket of warmth and love over us. Lucille Clifton was not just a poem written on the wall at St. Mary's College, she was a celebration of life and all the wonderful things that make us human.”
Baltimore Sun photo by Nanine Hartzenbusch (1996)
Comments
I'm sad that none of these tributes mention her children's books, including her series on Everett Anderson. Her poetry for children uses simple words that create complex undertones.
Posted by: Elizabeth | February 22, 2010 8:43 AM