Maxine Beneba Clarke stands at the forefront of Australia's literary renaissance, crafting works that interrogate race, identity, and belonging across genres. Based in Melbourne, her output spans award-winning memoirs (The Hate Race), pioneering children's literature (When We Say Black Lives Matter), and poetry collections that redefine national narratives.
"Your one job, on the page or outside of it, is to just keep trying to make the world a better place." - From "Dear my past self"
We've followed Maxine Beneba Clarke's work as she reshapes Australian literature through unflinching explorations of race, identity, and belonging. As an Afro-Caribbean Australian writer and illustrator, Clarke brings rare authenticity to discussions about multiculturalism and social justice, making her one of Australia's most vital contemporary literary voices.
Clarke's career began in poetry and slam performance, where her 2016 collection Carrying the World won the Victorian Premier's Literary Award. This foundation in verse informs her distinctive prose style - lyrical yet direct, personal yet universally resonant. Her transition into fiction and memoir marked a turning point:
In this 2021 interview, Clarke dissects the global resonance of Black Lives Matter through an Australian lens. She reveals how her picture book intentionally uses the BLM mantra as a bridge between diasporic experiences, arguing that "the term contains multitudes - from Aboriginal land rights to Caribbean migration stories." The piece showcases Clarke's unique ability to contextualize local racial struggles within international solidarity movements.
"Books present us with an opportunity to not only be entertained and educated - but also to broaden our worldview, empathize with others and hear from those who might not have had the opportunity otherwise."
This 2023 epistolary essay blends memoir with social manifesto. Addressing her 12-year-old self, Clarke traces the evolution of Australian race relations while maintaining clear-eyed realism: "Don't let anyone minimize the struggles you'll face...How you face that fear will be the making of you." The piece exemplifies her signature balance of vulnerability and activism, using personal narrative to illuminate systemic injustice.
In this 2023 interview, Clarke details her collaborative process for Eleven Words for Love, highlighting her innovative use of dissolved watercolor pencil textures to visualize Arabic expressions of love. The discussion reveals how she adapts artistic techniques to serve cross-cultural storytelling, creating visual metaphors that transcend language barriers.
Clarke prioritizes stories that empower young readers from underrepresented communities. Successful pitches might involve: - Own voices narratives about cultural hybridity - Innovative formats blending visual/textual storytelling - Historical fiction reexamining colonial legacies
Her work spans memoir, poetry, and picture books, united by diaspora themes. Pitches could bridge: - Archival research with personal family histories - Slam poetry techniques applied to prose - Multilingual storytelling devices
Clarke's BLM picture book demonstrates how to tackle complex issues accessibly. Compelling angles include: - Artistic representations of protest movements - Intergenerational trauma/resilience narratives - Decolonizing publishing practices
At PressContact, we aim to help you discover the most relevant journalists for your PR efforts. If you're looking to pitch to more journalists who write on Books, here are some other real estate journalist profiles you may find relevant:
