Maxine Clair

Maxine Clair, beloved author, poet and educator, passed away peacefully on September 5, 2025, at the age of 86 in Washington, DC.

Maxine was an acclaimed poet and author. Her first book of poetry, Coping with Gravity, was published in 1988. In 1994, her novel Rattlebone was published. She earned the Chicago Tribune's Heartland Prize for Rattlebone and was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for fiction in 1995. Maxine's additional books are October Brown, October Suite, and Imagine This.

Maxine was a devoted mother to her four children, Stephen Bridges, Joseph Clair, III (Nyemah), Michael Clair (Elizabeth Olivares) and Adrienne Clair. She was also a beloved sister to her brothers Robert Smith, Jr. (deceased, Lora Smith), Steven Smith (Kimberly), and Ronald Smith (Rebecca), and sisters Gloria Smith (Michael Obsatz), Elinor McGinnis (Elmer), Donna Smith, Joyce Smith, and Linda Smith. She is also survived by grandchildren George Olivares, Nicole Olivares, Jackson Winder, Noah Winder, Nia Clair and Joseph Clair, IV, and great-grandchildren Melody Spring, Aurora Spring and Aiden Spring.

A memorial service will be held on September 20, 2025, at 11 a.m. at Unity of Washington, 1225 R St NW, Washington, DC. The memorial service will be followed by a Celebration of Life, on September 20, 2025, at 2 p.m. at the Salamander Hotel, 1330 Maryland Ave, SW, Washington, DC.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Maxine's honor to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.