Breena Clarke
Biography of Breena Clarke
Breena Clarke grew up in Washington, D.C., and was
educated at Webster College and Howard University. Clarke’s debut
novel, River, Cross My Heart, was an October 1999 Oprah Book Club selection.
Ms. Clarke is also the recipient of the 1999 award for fiction by the New
Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association and the Alex Award, given by
the Young Adult Library Services Association.
Breena, who has survived the death of her only child, writes with depth and
clarity about grief. Her work is marked by compassion and magnificent use of
language. Fascinated by the vast array of small and insignificant objects
that contain finely detailed denigrating images of African-Americans, Breena
is a passionate collector of Black Memorabilia.
A graduate of Howard University, Breena Clarke is co-author with Glenda
Dickerson of Remembering Aunt Jemima: A Menstrual Show. Her
short fiction is included in Black Silk, A Collection of African
American Erotica, and Street Lights: Illuminating Tales of the
Urban Black Experience. Her recollections of Washington, D.C. are
included in Growing Up In Washington, D.C., An Oral History,
published by The Historical Society of Washington, D.C.
Breena Clarke is an advisor to the board of A Room Of Her Own Foundation.
She is a member of the fiction faculty of The Stonecoast MFA program at The
University of Southern Maine. She has completed a third novel,
Angels Make Their Hope Here, set in a mixed-race community in 19th
century New Jersey
Breena’s older sister is poet Cheryl Clarke
Learn more at Breena Clarke’s official website
