Blessing the Boats: A Tribute to Lucille Clifton

Readings by Sherman Alexie, Tina Chang, Toi Derricotte, Michael Dickman, Timothy Donnelly, Cornelius Eady, Thomas Sayers Ellis, Nick Flynn, Rachel Eliza Griffiths, Marie Howe, Dante Micheaux, Sharon Olds and Tracy K. Smith, with musical interludes by mezzo-soprano Alicia Hall Moran.

Lucille Clifton (1936-2010) was one of the most distinguished, decorated and beloved poets of our time. Toni Morrison notes that “the love readers feel for Lucille Clifton — both the woman and her poetry — is constant and deeply felt.” This tribute to her life and work celebrates the publication of The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton, 1965-2010 and her role as a major force in poetry in the last quarter of the 20th century.