Poetic Obituaries: [Lucille] Clifton, who lived in Columbia, Md.,

and was the former poet laureate of the state, was a two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee.

She won the National Book Award in 2001 for "Blessing the Boats: New and Selected Poems, 1988-2000," and in 2007, she became the first African-American woman to be awarded one of the literary world's highest honors--the Ruth Lilly Prize for lifetime achievement by the Poetry Foundation."

"She is, in my opinion, the greatest poet to have been born and raised in Buffalo in the 20th Century," said R.D. Pohl, longtime literary contributor to The Buffalo News.

from The Buffalo News: Clifton, honored poet from Buffalo, dies
also The Baltimore Sun: Lucille Clifton, one-time poet laureate of Md., dies at 73

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