Cheril N. Clarke (born September 24, 1980) is a Canadian-born contemporary
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
and
playwright
A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays.
Etymology
The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...
of gay and lesbian romance, drama and comedy.
Life
Though born in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
,
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada, Clarke's family moved to
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...
, Florida when she was six months old. She has lived in the United States for the majority of her life.
She is the last of three children born to Hyacinth and Thaddius Clarke.
Creative writing
Books
Clarke is the author of many books, including novels, collections of erotic vignettes and poetry.
* ''Corsets & Cognac'' (2020)
* ''Sweet Dark Rum'' (2020)
* ''The Edge of Bliss'' (2017)
* ''The Beautiful People: South Beach'' (2014)
* ''The Beautiful People: New York City'' (2012)
* ''The Beautiful People: Las Vegas'' (2011)
* ''The Beautiful People: New Orleans'' (2011)
* ''Ecstacy'' (2010)
* ''Illusions of Love'' (2010)
Nonfiction
* ''Love and Romance: The Gay and Lesbian Guide to Dating and Romance'' (2010)
Poetry
* ''Oxygen'' (2019)
Plays
Her novel, ''Intimate Chaos'', has been adapted into a play of the same name and has been mounted in
Bordentown, New Jersey
Bordentown is a city in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 3,924.Plainfield, New Jersey and twice in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. ''Intimate Chaos'' was translated to Spanish and performed at the Tercer Amor festival in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
under the name Caos Intimo.
Clarke's most recent play, ''Asylum'', was the recipient of the Audience Award of the 2012 Downtown Urban Theater Festival (now known as
Downtown Urban Arts Festival
Downtown Urban Arts Festival (DUAF), formerly known as Downtown Urban Theater Festival, is an annual multi-disciplinary arts event held during the spring featuring theater, film, music and poetry at various venues in downtown Manhattan, New Yor ...
) New York and runner-up for best play.
Business and other contributions
Clarke later founded Phenomenal Writing, LLC, a communications consulting agency that provides ghost and speech writing services for executives around the worlds. Notable clients include
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
and
Cisco Systems
Cisco Systems, Inc., commonly known as Cisco, is an American-based multinational corporation, multinational digital communications technology conglomerate (company), conglomerate corporation headquartered in San Jose, California. Cisco develo ...
.
Clarke has also provided commentary for features on NPR. and WPEB 88.1FM
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...