The Rage of Coming of Age

Claire's first solo collection includes experimental & concrete poetry, performance pieces and visual-textual experiments, and were composed over a twelve year period, 1999-2011.

Whilst attending a weekly Calligraphy class with Helen Hayman, one of the ladies produced an old Donkey stone, found in an old hardware store from a bygone seaside retreat. Tales of grandparents and memories of washing and cleaning were inspired and I promised to write a poem on the subject for the following week.

Feathergill's Donkey Brand is the name of the Donkey Stone that were sold for a penny or less, or given in exchange for recyclables by the rag & bone man. Use was general in the factory towns of Northern England, when whitened steps were considered proper house-hold care, and died out through the 1960's with the generation that last used them. Their daughters had other priorities.

The She Boxer is a one act theatre play, exploring the physical restrictions and performativity of abusive relationships, with the main character, a Young Woman being placed in a copper box.

Her dialogues with the Fairy offer the female psyche an insight into how destructive control can dominate the wild female psyche and the extremes that result when creative function is diminished.

(Writing these lines a decade later, it seems it is never a mistake to search for what one requires.)

Whilst studying the art of Letterpress Printing at my mentors Incline Press of Oldham, I hand typeset the pamphlet book using Monotype Gill Sans and Granby. The paper is Nash Laid Vellum 100gsm and the cover Eco Kraft 280gsm. Printed by treading the Arab platen at Incline Press, Oldham making an edition of 160 numbered copies. The piece also went onto be performed at the Lawrence Batley Cellar Theatre the same year. (2011)