The Book of Light

February, that month of short, cold days with a backdrop of red and pink hearts is the perfect time to revisit the work of Lucille Clifton and her astonishing collection, The Book of Light. Originally published in 1993 and recently released in an anniversary edition by Copper Canyon Press, the new edition contains a foreword by the poet Ross Gay and an afterword by Clifton’s daughter Sidney Clifton, which give additional context to the poems.

Clifton was the recipient of the Juniper Prize, the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize, and a National Book Award, among many other honors. The poems in The Book of Light include some of her most well known work, including “won’t you celebrate with me”:

     born in babylon
     both nonwhite and woman
     what did i see to be except myself?

The poems in The Book of Light address both personal trauma and global tragedy. Light appears as a form of truth telling, as in a series of poems addressed to Superman, where the poet asks if he will follow her when she decides to “enter the darkest room / in my house and speak / with my own voice, at last”. Readers who follow Clifton through these startling, funny, and unforgettable poems will be rewarded with the grace of Clifton’s unique illumination.