Canadian Literature and Poet Laureate

Bob Dylan Joni Mitchell Leonard Cohen: Clarke has 13 published collections of poetry and is in the process of writing his life work: a three part epic poem, his version of Dante hell, according to Rabble. An expert in the academic field of black Canadian literature, Clarke puts the study in perspective, and shed some light on the current situation of black Canadian authors and poets. Originally from Nova Scotia, Clarke now lives in Toronto, where he is currently the appointed poet laureate. Could you tell me a little bit about yourself and your work ...I’ve been a poet since I was the age of 15 or 16 and the reason why I have a little bit of hesitation over which age to use is because I didn’t start out at age 15 wanting to be a poet. So by the age of 16 I began to write poetry as opposed to songs. I wanted to be a songwriter, but in learning how to become a songwriter, I kept reading I had to be like Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen, I had to be like them, I had to be a poet first if I wanted to be a decent songwriter. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.