George Elliott Clarke
A professor of English at the University of Toronto, George Elliott Clarke was the 4th Poet Laureate of Toronto (2012-15) and the 7th Parliamentary/Canadian Poet Laureate (2016-17). A pioneering scholar of African-Canadian literature, he has two major tomes to his credit: Odysseys Home: Mapping African-Canadian Literature (2002), and Directions Home: Approaches to African-Canadian Literature (2012). George holds eight honorary doctorates, plus appointments to the Order of Nova Scotia and the Order of Canada at the rank of Officer. His recognitions include the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellows Prize, the Governor-General’s Award for Poetry, the National Magazine Gold Award for Poetry, the Premiul Poesis (Romania), the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction, the Eric Hoffer Book Award for Poetry (US), and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award.