Poet - Artist - Human
Ultimately the only two people who you ever really need to be proud of you, are your younger self and your older self in the future.
About Me
As a performer Clare often bridges the gap between comedy and profundity and has been a regular face on the UK literary circuit, headlining many poetry nights across the country. As well as performing at many festivals including Glastonbury. Clare became a regular supporter of John Cooper Clarke 8 years ago and in that time has performed with him at a whole host of venues including The London Palladium and The Apollo. Clare has written two solo spoken word shows, the first of which “California Scheming” debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe and toured the UK to rave reviews, the second “Senti and Definitely Mental” debuted at Machynllell comedy festival and is still touring. Not one to shy away from difficult subject matters, Clare writes openly about mental health struggles and is often found working with organisations such as Mind, helping others to use creative writing as a cathartic process.
Performing
I wasn't even really aware of the spoken word scene as a youngster, I'd heard of Pam Ayers and John Cooper-Clarke and I loved Benjamin Zephaniah from his time on the morning kids show No.73, but I was utterly clueless as to the vibrant scene that was very much alive all around me. I'd always written poetry as a means to process my thoughts and feelings and started sending pieces off to competitions and magazines when I was 18, I won my first international competition by the time I was 19. About 10 years after that, by which time I was married with a child of my own, I started teaching creative writing to a local group of adult learners, one of them went on to form a collective and invited me to a slam. I won it and was bitten.
I sought out every opportunity to engulf myself in the world of performance poetry after that, and was quite quickly offered my first professional gig at Dinefwr literature festival. The thing I love the most about poetry is that you can blend pathos and comedy, profundity and smut, ridiculous and sublime notions almost simultaneously and as someone with Bi-Polar, I suppose it utterly suits my inbuilt tendency to plough great depths and aspire to lofty concepts, not to mention the ability to utterly disassociate.
Just before “Ghost Writer” was published I went to Laugharne Weekend literature festival, where I met Phill Jupitus, we hit it off and a lovely friendship formed, he offered me the chance to perform alongside him in his guise as Porky the Poet at the Edinburgh Fringe. I learned so much from him about how to play a big crowd and his support boosted my confidence immensely. When someone you admire and respect shows you the same it chimes some hidden inner bell that wakes a part of you up. That experience opened so many doors, I was invited to headline at multiple literary nights around the UK and then the following year at Laugharne I met one of my poetry heroes, the aforementioned Dr John Cooper-Clarke. He was hilarious, charming, a brilliant raconteur and after several glasses of wine I plucked up the courage and asked if I could support him on tour, his answer? “It would be a much needed injection of glamour love”, a few months later I was opening for him at the Rhyl Pavilion in front of a huge crowd.
And There's More...
CLARE IS UNIQUE. She is an award winning poet, comedienne, sculptor and singer. Clare’s explosive second collection "Chrysalis" Published by Clockwork Moth, lays bare the poet's soul and takes the reader on an intimate journey laced with humour and intelligent humane observation. "Hilarious, touching and incredibly clever" - Metro "Don't know how Clare can get up on stage and be so effortlessly funny and engaging, I love her stuff" - Brian Bilson
Sculpture
Art
Poetry
Tour Dates
Next Dates
Vivamus magna justo, lacinia eget consectetur sed, convallis at tellus.
Stay In Touch With Me
You'll also get occasional news on tour dates and new music releases.