Published 11 August 20111 June 2012 · Writing / Main Posts Drought Maxine Beneba Clarke drought she can’t crawl yet but my sassy little daughter bum-shuffles her way toward the broadsheet smirking back at me / in defiance the paper is open to a young somali woman trying to finger-feed rice to her wasting child maya stares at them transfixed then / trying to catch the dying baby’s gaze she lifts chubby brown fingers to cherubic mouth & smiles the young mother half-turns from the camera lowers suffering brown eyes there drought ravaged desperate broken & but by the grace of god go i On Sunday 14 August, I’ll be performing some poems and a Q&A about my writing at the CaribVic Youth Arts Festival in Melbourne which runs from 3pm to 7pm. Other featured artists include artist Tony Phillips, filmmaker Jason Phillips and musician Lloyd Watson-Jones – really looking forward to this one! You can find out more details about this event, how to book, and about the Caribbean Association of Victoria at the CaribVic blog. Maxine Beneba Clarke Maxine Beneba Clarke is an Australian author and slam poet of Afro- Caribbean descent. Her short fiction collection Foreign Soil won the 2015 ABIA Award for Best Literary Fiction and the 2015 Indie Award for Best Debut Fiction, and was shortlisted for the Stella Prize. Her memoir, The Hate Race, her poetry collection Carrying the World, and her first children’s book, The Patchwork Bike, will be published by Hachette in late 2016. More by Maxine Beneba Clarke › Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays 8 November 20248 November 2024 · Poetry Announcing the final results of the 2024 Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers Editorial Team After careful consideration, judges Karen Wyld and Eugenia Flynn have selected first place and two runners-up to form the final results of this year’s Nakata Brophy Prize! 4 October 202418 October 2024 · Main Posts Announcing the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers 2024 longlist Editorial Team Sponsored by Trinity College at the University of Melbourne and supporters, the Nakata Brophy Prize for Young Indigenous Writers, established in 2014 and now in its ninth year, recognises the talent of young Indigenous writers across Australia.
