Thank you for the Love, Ms. Clifton

I was shocked to discover that Lucille Clifton, former Maryland Poet Laureate, passed away on February 13, 2010. I learned about Clifton's passing yesterday in an email. I guess the big news around the time of Clifton's death was the historic snowstorm in Baltimore, MD. I am bummed that I will never have a chance to meet Ms. Clifton, but her work is here to stay.

I'll admit I was introduced to Clifton's work rather late. It was in 2007. My father handed me a news article from The Baltimore Sun, which profiled Clifton, because she won the 2007 Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize; she became the first African-American woman to win the award. It was inspiring to see an African-American woman be praised for her literary contributions, and that's why I say, "Thank you, Ms. Clifton."