LIVE POETRY READING A HUGE SUCCESS!

THE UNION CLUB OF BRITISH COLUMBIA , 11th September, 2021

Here I am in the sumptuous décor of the Reading Room at the Union Club, in front of an audience of over twenty people on Saturday afternoon, 11th September, 2021. The event started with my reading five of my most recently published poems during a thirty minute performance. This was then followed by an informal interactive question and answer session which lasted for over forty five minutes!

Thank you to each and every one of the general membership and book club members who attended and asked me such fascinating and stimulating questions! Your positive feedback and encouragement was much appreciated.

Huge thank you to Kristin Backlund, Union Club Librarian and Book Clubs Coordinator for hosting this inaugural UC authors’ event and to Danielle Scott, Sales and Engagement Manager, the Union Club of BC for your assistance with planning and organisation.

#unionclubofbc #myclubmakeityours #sookewriterscollective #spokenwordpoetry

MY NEXT LIVE POETRY READING IS AT THE UNION CLUB OF BRITISH COLUMBIA, VICTORIA, BC

I can confirm today that I have been invited to give a live performance of a selection of poems from BITS OF STRING & THREAD on Saturday, 11th September, 2021, to members of this luxurious private club in the heart of downtown Victoria.

THE UNION CLUB OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

I love the decorative front facade of this hundred-year-old classic building, located on Gordon Street. Many of its sumptuously refurbished reception and dining areas overlook Victoria Harbour, the waters of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the breathtaking Olympic Mountain range beyond.

A huge thank you to Kristin Backlund, Union Club Librarian and Book Clubs Coordinator and to Danielle Scott, Sales & Engagement Manager, The Union Club of British Columbia for this exciting invitation.

FRIDAY EVENING’S LIVE READING AT THE GALLERY

was such a fun event! It was so special to be in front of a live audience once again and to be able to share five original pieces – four from BITS OF STRING & THREAD and one from ALL THE ELEMENTS. What a luxury to be able to mingle afterwards, admiring the artwork, photography, jewelry, sculptures and textiles on display in the Gallery around us. Such a unique and perfect setting for a live reading.

Thank you to staff and volunteers at the Gallery by Sooke Arts Council for all your assistance in making the event such a success.

Photos (c) Richard Ashton 2021

I received this stunning bouquet at the end of my performance.

Live Poetry Reading by Author Friday 27th August 2021

LIVE POETRY READING BY LOCAL SOOKE AUTHOR CLARE WINSTANLEY

Where? Art Gallery by Sooke Arts Council, 6596 Sooke Road, Sooke, BC

When? 6 – 8pm Friday, 27th August, 2021

What? Professional performance of poems from newly published anthology

Gallery capacity maximum 25 seated guests (BC Covid regulations)

Cost? Free event

Time … to relax and reflect in Salish seafog 20th August, 2021

This is where Dida and I will spend the day this weekend, drinking in the peace and quiet.

With my upcoming solo live poetry reading from BITS OF STRING & THREAD at the Sooke Arts Council Gallery on Friday 27th August, followed by another as a participant at Sooke’s inaugural Festival of Authors and Readers on Saturday and Sunday 28th/ 29th August, I will use the solitude and serenity of the Salish shoreline to restore my energy after such a wonderfully hectic time at Sooke Region Museum Night Market meeting crowds of enthusiastic marketgoers.

Photo (c) 2021 AMGray Studios

Sooke Region Museum Night Market Stall Sales Success! 15th July and 19th August 2021

Photos by David Reichheld

Sales of “ BITS OF STRING & THREAD – a tapestry of poems” were brisk during my two enjoyable summer evenings as a stall holder at Sooke Region Museum’s Night Market in their grounds under the shadow of the lighthouse.

Huge thanks to fellow member authors from Sooke Writers’ Collective for their assistance in making these stall events such a resounding success.

BITS OF STRING & THREAD

TODAY – WEDNESDAY 7TH JULY, 2021 – IS A MILESTONE!

PUBLICATION DAY FOR MY FIRST ANTHOLOGY!

Here, for first time published in print, you can find my poem “Last Stand at Fairy Creek” which you will have heard me performing for the “Stories-Less-Spoken” Podcast series.

“That poem has so much weight to it!” Cole Kelly, Director and Co-Host, The Little Stories Series: The Spoken Word.

“I was very moved by it.” Christine Lowther, Poet Laureate, Tofino, British Columbia

Of the remaining poems, all but one (“Beside the Seaside – a cycle of sea poems”) were written over the past two years and appear together for the first time in this anthology. Many of them will take you on journeys: physical or spiritual. All use common words to express uncommon thoughts, feelings and ideas.

To purchase your own copy in person, visit The Gallery (Sooke Arts Council) (open Wednesday to Sundays). Alternatively, order one directly from me, here on my contact page or visit http://www.sookewriters.com and place an order.

Author Photo (c) AMGray Studios 2021

Here I am in the tranquility of Ella Beach on the shoreline of the Salish Sea, Sooke (featured in my poem “The White Night”) in the cool of an early summer’s morning, with my companion lurcher, Perdida.