Poet Clifton dies after battling cancer

BALTIMORE, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- Poet Lucille Clifton, known for mixing humor and profundity in her works, died in Baltimore after a battle with cancer, her sister, Elaine Philip, said.

The Baltimore Sun reported Sunday the former Maryland state poet laureate died of undetermined causes Saturday at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, one day after she had a portion of her colon removed. She was 73.

A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a National Book Award winner, Clifton released 11 books of poetry that offered intriguing takes on poetic expression.

"She writes of her family because she is greatly interested in making sense of their lives and relationships; she writes of adversity and success in the ghetto community; and she writes of her role as a poet," Wallace R. Peppers said of Clifton in the "Dictionary of Literary Biography."

Clifton was named poet laureate of Maryland in 1979 and held the post until 1985, becoming the first African-American to hold the post.

Clifton, who also published 20 children's books, is survived by her sister, Elaine Philip, three daughters, a son and three grandchildren.