Where to go? Poem #1 and Criticism Poem #2 and Criticism Sources Web site by Megan Olsen Mrs. Smith's AP English 12 Brookville High School 2001

http://www.poems.com/bles2cli.htm Lucille Clifton is a contemporary African American poet. In 1936 she was born in Depew, New York, into a poor family. She claims that her family didn't really mind being poor because there was still plenty of love floating around; they just didn't have all of the extras that others did. In 1953 she was accepted to Howard University to study drama on a scholarship. After two years, however, she left because she "forgot to study." When she was young her mother would frequently write poetry, so she decided that she would do the same. Her first book, Good Times, was published in 1969. She continues to write poetry, with many normal things as themes: love, respect, sacrifice, loss, childhood, and race relations. Clifton believes "the proper subject matter for poetry is life" and that poetry is written to "assert the importance of being human." She also writes children's books, a venture in which she is aided by her six children. The poetry of Lucille Clifton is written in simple terms and language with little punctuation and capitalization, but portrays big ideas and always contains a message.