Poet Lucille Clifton has arrived on campus as the College's Montgomery Fellow for the Winter term. Clifton has received numerous awards since the 1969 publication of her first book of poetry, "Good Times," including the National Book Award and two Pulitzer Prize nominations.
The Montgomery Fellowship program -- established in 1977 through a donation by Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth F. Montgomery '25 -- brings individuals to campus every year.
Clifton's poetry is often characterized as a celebration of African-American culture and heritage, but Clifton emphasizes that her poetry cuts across boundaries of race and nationality.
"Poetry is a necessity," she said. "If you're going to be a surgeon, and you have poetry in your heart, you'll be a better surgeon."
In addition to writing poetry, the grandmother of five has written 21 children's books and the memoir, "Generations," and is currently working on a novel. Though the Emmy award-winning Clifton is passionate about many things, she says poetry is her first love.
"Poetry is what's in my heart," Clifton said. "Someone asked me once if I'd rather be a better person or a better poet, and it was a no-brainer: a better poet."
Her first visit to campus was in 2005 to receive an honorary degree from the College. As a Montgomery Fellow, Clifton is leading poetry workshops for senior poetry students on Tuesdays and holding office hours in the Montgomery House on Wednesdays. This close interaction with students is a hallmark both of the Montgomery Fellowship program and of Clifton's intimate teaching style.
"All my students think I'm their mother," Clifton said. "We hold hands after every class ... it helps to develop community, and I'm very interested in community, in becoming a community of humans."
Anyone in the Dartmouth community can nominate a Montgomery Fellow, but he or she is ultimately approved by the steering committee after being endorsed by at least two departments.
"This program brings outstanding individuals who have a wide impact," said Susan Wright, executive director and non-voting member of the Montgomery Endowment Steering Committee. "Most fellows are, by definition, people who transcend departments."
Right now, the steering committee has a list of over 100 approved nominees for the program, many more than the number of available spots. According to Wright, the committee had already decided they wanted a poet to serve as the current fellow, and decided on Clifton after she was nominated by several faculty including Cleopatra Mathis, chair of the English department.
"[Clifton] represents the highest ideal of this program," said Wright. "She's a good example of what we aspire to."
Clifton was the Poet Laureate of Maryland from 1979 to 1982 and is a professor at St. Mary's College of Maryland where she teaches one week per semester. She will stay at Dartmouth until mid-February, and her position as Montgomery Fellow will be assumed by the Pilobolus dance company in the spring.
