Maxine Beneba Clarke

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Maxine Beneba Clarke is an Australian writer of Afro-Caribbean descent, whose work includes fiction, non-fiction, plays and poetry. She is the author of many books for children and adults, notably a short story collection entitled Foreign Soil, and her 2016 memoir The Hate Race, which she adapted for a stage production debuting in February 2024. In 2023, Clarke was the inaugural Peter Steele Poet in Residence at the University of Melbourne.

Early life and education[edit]

Maxine Beneba Clarke was born and raised in the Sydney suburb of Kellyville.[1] Her mother was an actress of Guyanese heritage and her father an academic of Jamaican descent, who migrated to Australia from England in 1976.[2][3] She has said: "Cousins, aunts, and uncles of mine have settled all over the world: including in Germany, America, Switzerland, Australia, England, and Barbados. Mine is a complex migration history that spans four continents and many hundreds of years: a history that involves loss of land, loss of agency, loss of language, and loss, transformation, and reclamation of culture."[4]

Beneba Clarke attended school in Kellyville and Baulkham Hills,[5] before going on to earn a Bachelor of Creative Arts and law degree (with majors in creative writing and human rights) from the University of Wollongong.[1][6]

She moved to Melbourne.[5]

Career[edit]

Clarke published a number of short works, before publishing a collection of short stories that focuses on the African diaspora, called Foreign Soil, in 2014. She went on to publish many more works of different genres, including poetry.[1]

She has been a contributor to The Saturday Paper.[7] Her work is included in the 2019 anthology New Daughters of Africa, edited by Margaret Busby.[8]

In December 2022 Clarke was announced as the University of Melbourne's inaugural Peter Steele Poet in Residence,[1] named in honour of Australian poet Peter Steele (1939–2012).[9]

Clarke wrote a stage adaptation of The Hate Race for Malthouse Theatre in Melbourne, which debuted in February 2024. It is performed as a one-woman show by Zahra Newman, with sounds and music provided by musician Kuda Mapeza.[10]

Recognition and awards[edit]

Clarke's collection of short stories Foreign Soil won the 2013 Victorian Premier's Unpublished Manuscript Award,[6] the 2015 Australian Book Industry Award (ABIA) for Best Literary Fiction,[11] the 2015 Indie Book Award for Best Debut Fiction,[12] and was shortlisted for the 2015 Stella Prize.[13]

Her memoir The Hate Race (2016) won the New South Wales Premier's Literary Award,[14] and was shortlisted for The Stella Prize, the Victorian Premier's Literary Award for non-fiction and an ABIA for non-fiction.[citation needed]

Her poetry collection Carrying The World won the 2017 Victorian Premier's Prize for Poetry.[15] Her picture book The Patchwork Bike (2016), illustrated by Melbourne artist Van Thanh Rudd, won the Crichton Award for Children's Book Illustration.[16]

In 2021, Clarke was voted the "People's Choice" for the triennial Melbourne Prize for Literature, for an outstanding body of work.

Clarke has received several writing awards and fellowships, including:

Works[edit]

Clarke's works include:[1]

As author[edit]

  • The Hate Race: a stage adaptation (2024)
  • We Know a Place, a picture book illustrated by the author (2023)
  • It’s the Sound of the Thing: 100 new poems for young people, a poetry collection (2023).
  • 11 Words for Love, a picture book written by Randa Abdel-Fattah - as illustrator (2022).
  • How Decent Folk Behave (2021), a poetry collection
  • When We Say Black Lives Matter (2020), a picture book illustrated by the author
  • Meet Taj at the Lighthouse (2020), an early reader chapter book in the Aussie Kids book series.
  • The Saturday Portraits (2019), a collection of creative non-fiction profiles published in The Saturday Paper
  • Fashionista (2019), a picture book illustrated by the author
  • Wide Big World (2018), a picture book illustrated by Isobel Knowles
  • The Hate Race (2016), an autobiography
  • Carrying The World (2016), a collection of poetry
  • The Patchwork Bike (2016), a picture book illustrated by Van Thanh Rudd
  • Foreign Soil (2014), a collection of short stories
  • Nothing Here Needs Fixing (2013), a collection of poetry
  • Gil Scott Heron is on Parole (2008), a collection of poetry

As editor[edit]

  • Growing Up African in Australia (Black Inc., 2019)[24]
  • The Best Australian Stories 2017 (Black Inc., 2017)

As illustrator[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Maxine Beneba Clarke". AustLit. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  2. ^ Beejay Silcox, "Racism in Australia: Maxine Beneba Clarke writes from experience", The Australian, 6 August 2016.
  3. ^ "The poison that eats away at your being", The Economist, 8 July 2017.
  4. ^ Maxine Beneba Clarke, "Here Comes the Fourth Culture", PowellsBooks.Blog, 3 January 2017.
  5. ^ a b Andrew Cattanach, "Maxine Beneba Clarke, author of Foreign Soil, answers Ten Terrifying Questions", Booktopia, 30 April 2014.
  6. ^ a b Sullivan, Jane (3 May 2014). "Maxine Beneba Clarke". The Sydney Morning Herald. ISSN 0312-6315. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  7. ^ "Maxine Beneba Clarke". The Saturday Paper. 12 July 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  8. ^ "Toni Morrison: Melissa Lucashenko and Maxine Beneba Clarke reflect on late author's legacy", The Guardian, 8 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Maxine Beneba Clarke named inaugural Poet in Residence". University of Melbourne Faculty of Arts. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  10. ^ Gbogbo, Mawunyo (29 February 2024). "In The Hate Race, Zahra Newman turns Maxine Beneba Clarke's bestselling memoir into a one-woman show". ABC News (Australia). Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  11. ^ a b "2015 ABIA Winners". ABIA Awards. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  12. ^ a b "Indie Book Awards". Indie Book Awards. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  13. ^ "Foreign Soil". Stella Prize. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  14. ^ "The Hate Race", Hachette Australia, 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Victorian Premier's Literary Awards 2017". The Wheeler Centre. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  16. ^ "The Patchwork Bike" at Readings.
  17. ^ "Hazel Rowley Literary Fellowship". Writers Victoria. Retrieved 6 October 2017.
  18. ^ "2017 – NSW Multicultural Award: The winner, shortlists and judges' comments". State Library of NSW. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  19. ^ "New South Wales Premier's Literary Awards" (PDF). SL Magazine. 8 (4): 35. Summer 2015–2016.
  20. ^ Morris, Linda (18 August 2017). "Children's Book Council of Australia reveal the best books of 2017". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  21. ^ "Presenting the 2019 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award winners – The Horn Book". www.hbook.com. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  22. ^ "Tsiolkas, Araluen, Grills, Clarke 2021 Melbourne Prize winners". Books+Publishing. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
  23. ^ "When We Say Black Lives Matter by Maxine Beneba Clarke". Joy in books. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  24. ^ Melissa Phillips, "Wide collection of voices challenges stereotype of African Australians", The Sydney Morning Herald, 26 April 2019.
  25. ^ "11 Words for Love (Randa Abdel-Fattah, illus by Maxine Beneba Clarke, Lothian)". Books+Publishing. 12 July 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2023.

External links[edit]

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