<p>I take <br\/>
\nLiberties\u2014poetic\u2014and take <br\/>
\nLicense to relate her story <br\/>
\nIn her voice, to tell History <br\/>
\nWho she was\u2014as I hear her say <br\/>
\nOr sing. <br\/>
\n[…] <br\/>
\nBut still you will come face-to-face <br\/>
\nWith a \u00ab\u00a0Portia,\u00a0\u00bb whose life outshines <br\/>
\nAll brilliance this black ink divines…. <br\/><\/p>
\n<p>In his unique brand of spoken word, Africadian poetry, the incomparable George Elliott Clarke explores a personal subject: his great-aunt Portia White. The result is a stirring, epic poem vibrating with energy and music that spans White’s birth in 1911, a coming of age amidst the backdrop of two World Wars, and her life-long love affair with music\u2014from singing in to directing the Cornwallis Street Baptist Church choir to her bel canto tutlege at the Halifax Conservatory of Music to her final, command performance before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1964. <\/p>
\n<p><i>Portia White<\/i> is a stunning testament to the first African Canadian to become an international star. Features vibrant illustrations by contemporary artist Lara Martina.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
George Elliott Clarke brings his lyrical brilliance to this personal story, an ode to his great-aunt, the internationally celebrated opera contralto Portia White. From her early years in Halifax to her performance before Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1964, the trailblazing, music-filled life of White is celebrated in this stirring tribute, with illustrations from artist Lara Martina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":66535,"template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[15038,15119],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-66533","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_language-eng-fr","product_subjects-poetry-fr","product_subjects-canadian-poetry-2-fr","product_subjects-general-canadian-poetry-2-fr","biblio_share_tag-poetry-canadian-general-fr","product_cat-voices-fr","product_cat-black-atlantic-canadian-voices-fr","entry","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"yoast_head":"\n