She is the author of four poetry collections from Firebrand books and is currently on the faculty at Rutgers University. She is the author of two poetry collections: Lived in Bars (Stubborn Mule Press, 2019), and the prize-winning chapbook, Roots Grew Wild (Kingdoms in the Wild Press, 2019). JP Howard reads “Of Althea and Flaxie” by Cheryl Clarke. The time period at the start of the poem (1943) lets the reader know from the start that this was a love that was not easily swayed by society or society’s expectations. Her writing has consistently inspired my own poetry. The responses to the online iteration have been incredible. According to Alexis Pauline Gumbs, who co-organized a conference on Clarke at Rutgers in 2013, “Cheryl Clarke’s life and work offer an enduring rejection of straightness and a constant reorientation to alternative space.” Clarke was an influential administrator and teacher at Rutgers for more than 40 years. JPH: I think it is absolutely crucial to share and highlight the work of influential activists like Cheryl Clarke. Poem Explored Musicians ’ Lives.

Sotto voce, tremble, against me: a breeze slips in, cools my blood, to garnet      bed stained with stones, cold and finally, useless            I Orpheo,       I lyre. then—i never think of the blueeyes that have glared at memoved three stools away from mein a barnever hear my sisters rageof syphilitic Black men asguinea pigs     rage of sterilized children          watch them just stop in an          intersection to scare the old          white bitchnever feel my father turnin his gravenever remember my motherteaching me the yes sirs & ma'amsto keep me alivenever hear my mother cryLord, what kind of child is this? Gave Poetry Readings. with hum, there is room for your cry in my mouth       Sweet, sweet sotto voce, I sang your moan until       the machete. This book was written in the early 80’s  and I believe it was significant and empowering to note that Cheryl Clarke, like Audre Lorde and Pat Parker, all fierce black activist lesbian poets writing during that time period, wrote unapologetically about lesbian love. JP is the Editor-at-Large at Mom Egg Review VOX online and holds a BA from Barnard College, an MFA in Creative Writing from The City College of New York and a JD from Brooklyn Law School. Purchase Clarke’s most recent book of poetry By My Precise Haircut.Read an interview of Clarke in Out HistoryVisit the Rutgers Archives for oral history recordings of Clarke. The words began to associate themselves and to create this rhythmic elegy, driven by several stark images—in the moment, the brief interval.”—Cheryl Clarke, —to Shirley Q. I have written since I was five years old.

JP Howard: I know that the Lyric Essentials series provides writers an opportunity to pay homage to poets that have guided us and transformed our work and Cheryl Clarke and her work have spoken to me for many decades. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. “I wrote this poem two years ago. Published originally by Carroll and Graf, The Days of Good Looks: the Prose and Poetry of Cheryl Clarke, 1980-2005 is a luminous compendium of the poet’s important writing. Sources “ Cheryl Clarke is, perhaps, the preeminent African-American lesbian poet writing today, ” noted the QueerReads.com website. The guards hold blades to the sky and cut the dark open. She lives in Jersey City, New Jersey, and Hobart, New York with her life partner.

I also chose this poem to honor my 18 year old self. A cross-genre writer, she has several works of fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, articles and critical essays published in various outlets. She makes the reader work and I love her poems for doing that. To enable Verizon Media and our partners to process your personal data select 'I agree', or select 'Manage settings' for more information and to manage your choices. Ultimately, this is a classic Clarke narrative poem that deserves to be both read and heard.

We are involved in the organization of the annual Book Village Festival of Women Writers in Hobart, N.Y. (Visit hobartfestivalofwomenwriters.com. Discovering her work at a young age made me realize I too can speak my truth and maybe someone will read my work one day, the way I was reading and being influenced by her work. then—i never think of the little boywho spat & called me niggernever think of the policemenwho kicked my body & said crawlnever think of Black bodieshanging in trees or filledwith bullet holesnever hear my sisters saywhite folks hair stinksdon’t trust any of themnever feel my fatherturn in his gravenever hear my mother talkof her backache after scrubbing floorsnever hear her cryLord, what kind of child is this? ( Log Out /  dethroning your mammy's image for dollars. It’s so on point. It gently ridicules the speaker when she touches the beautiful neck of a friend. I’m excited for my second full length collection to find a home. It gently ridicules the speaker when she touches the beautiful neck of a friend.

Cheryl Clarke’s new poems were political, unwavering in their directness, and often gut-wrenching in their ability to shine a light on painful Her/Histories. I consider myself a scholar of Audre Lorde and continue to write about the impact of Lorde’s work.

My books are: Narratives: poems in the tradition of black women (1982), Living As A Lesbian (1986), Humid Pitch (1989), Experimental Love (1993), the critical study, After Mecca: Women Poets and the Black Arts Movement (Rutgers Press, 2005), and The Days of Good Looks: Prose and Poetry 1980-2005 (Carroll and Graf, 2006). Since 2009, Cheryl Clarke has been the Dean of Students for Livingston Campus.

Copyright © 2019 by Cheryl Clarke. So began Clarke's journey through publishing. 1947) is an African American lesbian poet. A young poet with a handful of poems, Clarke, like many other lesbian-feminist poets, decided to self publish her first poetry collection, Narratives.In her new Introduction, Clarke shares how Linda C. Powell inspired her to publish Narratives by saying, "You need a book."

She proudly refers to herself as a “queer black troublemaker” and I love that description! You are still living your life out loud too!” The poetry of Clarke, Lorde and Parker, all gave me the  courage to come out to my own family, soon after discovering their work while at Barnard.

We and our partners will store and/or access information on your device through the use of cookies and similar technologies, to display personalised ads and content, for ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. We have lived in Hobart since 2005. Currently in Denver, she teaches college writing and is an editor for the Denver-based literary journal South Broadway Ghost Society. It was as if I had actually met them at some point in my life. Poet, critic, and activist Cheryl Clarke was born in Washington, DC. JAVASCRIPT IS DISABLED. It reminds me of the vibe of New York lesbian clubs and bars, that once were in abundance, but sadly, no longer are. Liquor, Drag Queen in Blackface.

© Academy of American Poets, 75 Maiden Lane, Suite 901, New York, NY 10038. I knew what I was aboutstroking your lovelyneck in the perilouslybriefinterval at the intersection ofdesire, the real, and feministderring-do. I recently wrote an introduction to the lovely and voluminous G.R.I.T.S., An Anthology of Writing by Southern Black Lesbians (Williams, ed., Media Arts Project, 2013). Her poems are honest, incredibly sexy, consistency political and often challenge the reader to think about all the intersections in our lives. EH: Is there anything you are currently working on that you’d like to share with readers? For this installment, JP Howard reads poems from Cheryl Clarke and talks about literary activism, the power of poetry, and the importance of black, lesbian voices in the community. She is also featured in the Lesbian Poet Trading Card Series from Headmistress Press and was the recipient of Lambda Literary’s Judith A. Markowitz Emerging Writer Award. I could hold you in my song. It is also infused with Clarke’s acerbic wit and determination in the ending lines “I been in love/six times in the last six months/and ain’t done trying yet.” I think it’s a poem of lesbian desire/longing that many can relate to—also the ending and the speaker’s determination “ain’t done trying yet” makes the reader chuckle to herself! 1947) is an African American lesbian poet.

). A list of poems by Cheryl Clarke Cheryl Clarke was born in 1947 in Washington, DC. Pingback: The Lesbian Movie Marathon 4: The Watermelon Woman (1996) « Nerves Strengthened with Tea. She founded the Office of Diverse Community Affairs and Lesbian-Gay Concerns, which became the Office of Social Justice Education and LGBT Communities, and retired as the Livingstone Dean of Students in 2013. It is forthcoming in the spring of 2016. By My Precise Haircut is available, I  retired from Rutgers University in July of 2013 after 41 years of administration and teaching in New Brunswick, N.J. With Barbara J. Balliet, my partner of 24 years, I am co-owner of Blenheim Hill Books in Hobart, N.Y., the Book Village of the Catskills.

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