George Elliott Clarke

George Elliott Clarke
George Elliot Clarke reciting poetry.
Born	February 12, 1960 Windsor, Nova Scotia
Nationality	Canadian
Occupation	writer, poet, academic

George Elliott Clarke, OC ONS (born 12 February 1960) is a Canadian poet and playwright and is currently serving as the Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate. His work largely explores and chronicles the experience and history of the Black Canadian communities of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, creating a cultural geography that Clarke refers to as "Africadia".

Born to William and Geraldine Clarke in Windsor, Nova Scotia, Clarke has spent much of his career writing about the black communities of Nova Scotia. Clarke worked as a parliamentary assistant to Howard McCurdy, MP in Ottawa. He also taught for a time in the African-American Studies department at Duke University.

Clarke earned a B.A. honours degree in English from the University of Waterloo (1984), an M.A. degree in English from Dalhousie University (1989) and a Ph.D. degree in English from Queen’s University (1993). He has received honorary degrees from Dalhousie University (LL.D.), the University of New Brunswick (Litt.D.), the University of Alberta (Litt.D.), the University of Waterloo (Litt.D.), and most recently, Saint Mary's University (Litt.D).