Two new titles highlighting the wonderful literary contributions of some of our best known African Canadian poets, including my personal favourite, George Elliott Clarke.

The Great Black North : contemporary African Canadian poetry (M)
by Valerie Mason-John & Kevan Anthony Cameron
THE GREAT BLACK NORTH: Contemporary African Canadian Poetry is the first national anthology to focus solely on poetry by African Canadians.
The Great Black North is a contemporary remix of the story of Black Canada. Told through the intertwining tapestry of poetic forms found on the page and stage, The Great Black North presents some missing pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that help fit together a poetic picture of the Black Canadian experience.
This collection of over 90 poets documents the many styles that Black Canadians use to express themselves. The rhythms felt in The Great Black North stem from the vibrant pulse of poets such as the much translated and internationally honoured Africadian George Elliott Clarke who has just been appointed Toronto’s fourth Poet Laureate; Ian Keteku, who was crowned the 2010 World Poetry Slam champion; Lillian Allen, founder of the dub poetry tradition in Canada; and Afua Cooper, who brought to light the hanging of an enslaved African woman, Marie Joseph Angélique, for the alleged burning of Montreal in 1734.
Africadian Atlantic : essays on George Elliott Clarke (M)
edited by Joseph Pivato
This collection features essays on Nova Scotia-born poet, playwright and literary critic George Elliott Clarke. Instrumental in promoting the writing of Canadian writers of African descent, Clarke’s work has won awards including the Governor General’s Award for poetry, a National Magazine Gold Medal Award for Poetry, the prestigious Trudeau Fellowship Prize, the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Achievement Award, and The Premiul Poesis (Romania). Contributors to this collection include: Alexander MacLeod, Susan Knutson, H. Nigel Thomas, Maureen Moynagh, Diana Brydon, Wayde Compton, Lydia Wilkinson, Katherine Larson, Maristela Campos, Giulio Marra, Amanda Montague, Jennifer Andrews and Katherine McLeod

 

Source: http://www.thereader.ca/2013/02/contemporary-african-candian-poets.html