African-American poet and creative writing professor whose poetry collections include Captivity, Tender, and The Undertaker's Daughter. She also published an autobiographical poetic work entitled The Black Notebooks: An Interior Journey.
She moved to New York City in 1967 and subsequently received a master's degree in English literature from New York University.
She was deeply affected by childhood visits to her grandparents' house, which doubled as a funeral parlor.
Her father was a Kentucky native, and her mother was of Louisiana Creole heritage. Derricotte gave birth to an illegitimate child in 1962, while she was a student at Wayne State University.
Her poetic style is similar to that of Anne Sexton and other confessional poets.
