George Elliott Clarke

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George Elliott Clarke (born February 12, 1960) is a Canadian poet and playwright.

Born in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Clarke has spent much of his career writing about the black communities of Nova Scotia. He also served for a time in the African-American Studies department at Duke University. He earned a B.A. honours degree in English from the University of Waterloo (1984), an M.A. in English from Dalhousie University (1989) and a Ph.D. in English from Queen’s University (1993). In addition, he has received honorary degrees from Dalhousie University (LL.D.), the University of New Brunswick (Litt.D.), the University of Alberta (Litt.D.), and the University of Waterloo (Litt.D.). He is currently an English professor at the University of Toronto. In 2001 he won the Governor General's Award for poetry for his book Execution Poems.

Clarke's work largely explores and chronicles the experience and history of the Black Canadian community of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that Clarke often refers to as Africadia.

Clarke's Whylah Falls was one of the selected books in the 2002 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by Nalo Hopkinson.

Clarke is a great-nephew of the late Canadian opera singer Portia White, politician Bill White and labour union leader Jack White.

Clarke was a featured writer/instructor at the 2007 Maritime Writers' Workshop & Literary Festival in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

On January 16, 2008, Clarke was made an honorary Fellow of the Haliburton Literary Society, the oldest literary society in North America, at the University of King's College, Halifax.


Contents

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Poetry

[edit] Plays

[edit] Novels

[edit] Anthologies edited

  • 1991: Fire on the Water: An Anthology of Black Nova Scotian Writing, Volume One. Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia: Pottersfield, ISBN 0-919001-67-X
  • 1992: Fire on the Water: An Anthology of Black Nova Scotian Writing, Volume Two. Lawrencetown Beach, Nova Scotia: Pottersfield, ISBN 0-919001-71-8
  • 1997: Eyeing the North Star: Directions in African-Canadian Literature. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1997 ISBN 0-7710-2125-9

[edit] Criticism

  • 2002: Odysseys Home: Mapping African-Canadian Literature. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, ISBN 0-8020-8191-6

[edit] Awards

  • 1979: Honourable Mention, Atlantic Writing Competition (Adult Poetry), Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia
  • 1981: First Prize, Atlantic Writing Competition (Adult Poetry), Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia
  • 1983: Second Prize, Bliss Carman Poetry Award, Banff Centre
  • 1991: Archibald Lampman Award for Poetry, Ottawa Independent Writers
  • 1998: Portia White Prize, Nova Scotia Arts Council, 1998.
  • Bellagio Centre Fellow, Rockefeller Foundation, New York City
  • 1999: Alumni Achievement Award, University of Waterloo
  • 2002: Governor General's Award for Poetry, for Execution Poems
  • National Magazine Gold Award for Poetry
  • 2004: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Achievement Award, Black Theatre Workshop
  • 2006: Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellowship Prize, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
  • 2006: Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction
  • 2006: Frontieras Poesis Premuil [Prize], Poesis Magazine, International Poetry Festival, Satu Mare, Romania
  • 2006: Order of Nova Scotia
  • 2007: Longlisted for the IMPAC Award, for George and Rue

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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