Lucille Clifton (June 27, 1936 – February 13, 2010)[1] was an American poet, writer, and educator from Buffalo, New York.

[7] In 1958, Lucille Sayles married Fred James Clifton, a professor of philosophy at the University at Buffalo, and a sculptor whose carvings depicted African faces.

Lucille and her husband had six children together, and she worked as a claims clerk in the New York State Division of Employment, Buffalo (1958–60), and then as literature assistant in the Office of Education in Washington, D.C. (1960–71).

Writer Ishmael Reed introduced Lucille to Clifton while he was organizing the Buffalo Community Drama Workshop.

Fred and Lucille Clifton starred in the group's version of The Glass Menagerie, which was called "poetic and sensitive" by the Buffalo Evening News.

[10] Lucille Clifton traced her family's roots to the West African kingdom of Dahomey, now the Republic of Benin.

Lucille's two extra fingers were amputated surgically when she was a small child, a common practice at that time for reasons of superstition and social stigma.

Everett Anderson, a recurring character in many of her books, spoke in African-American English and dealt with real life social problems.

Two-Headed Woman won the 1980 Juniper Prize and was characterized by its "dramatic tautness, simple language … tributes to blackness, [and] celebrations of women", which are all traits reflected in the poem "homage to my hips".

[15] This particular collection of poetry also marks the beginning of Clifton's interest in depicting the "transgressive black body".

Jane Campbell poses the idea that "the specific effect of mythmaking upon race relations … constitutes a radical act, inviting the audience to subvert the racist mythology that thwarts and defeats Afro-Americans, and to replace it with a new mythology rooted in the black perspective.

"[17] Therefore, Clifton utilizes "homage to my hips" to celebrate the African-American female body as a source of power, sexuality, pride, and freedom.

[18] In 1993, Clifton's newest collection dived head first into wrestling with bigotry, social justice, and human rights.

The book delves into Clifton's personal fight against breast cancer as well as involves itself with mythology, religion, and the legacy of slavery.

Lucille Clifton received a Creative Writing Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1970 and 1973, and a grant from the Academy of American Poets.

"[18] This testifies to Clifton's reputation as a poet whose work focuses on overcoming adversity, family, and endurance from the perspective of an African-American woman.