About this item
This long-awaited and much-needed volume shines new light on one of America's most beloved, and profound, poets - Lucille Clifton.Black Buffalo Woman is a deep, comprehensive dive into Clifton's work through the eyes of celebrated poet and scholar, Kazim Ali. Collecting chapters of Clifton's early manuscripts, late drafts, and integrating her books of children's literature, Ali's meticulously researched volume provides a brilliant and fresh perspective on Clifton's life and work.Various chapters examine Clifton's treatment of the body as a site of both joy and danger, spirituality, and interrogation of American history, politics, and popular culture. The result of Ali's scholarship and care highlights a dazzling array of Clifton's poetic techniques and forms that will continue to inspire poets for decades to come.
About the Author
Kazim Ali was born in the UK to parents of Indian descent. With his family he emigrated to Canada and then the US where he was raised in an Islamic household. He then attended the University at Albany, receiving a BA and an MA in English. Following his graduation, Kazim worked full time as an organizer for a state-wide organization devoted to advocating for greater access to public higher education, funding for the SUNY system, and increased need-based grant aid for students. Following four years of full time organizing and political activity, Kazim returned to his home in the Western New York area and taught in the English Department of Monroe Community College and served as a writer-in-residence at the Just Buffalo Literary Center. Kazim Ali's work has been published in various national journals including jubilat, Barrow Street, The American Poetry Review, and in the Best American Poetry 2007. His first book of poetry, The Far Mosque,' was published by Alice James Books in 2005. Kazim is also the author of a novel, Quinn's Passage,' published by BlazeVox Books. He is founding editor of Nightboat Books.
