Jane Clarke (born 10 February 1961) is an Irish poet. She is the author of three poetry collections and an illustrated poetry booklet. The Irish novelist Anne Enright has praised her poems for their "clean, hard-earned simplicity and a lovely sense of line."[1]
Jane Clarke | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 10 February 1961 County Roscommon, Ireland |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Education | BA (Hons), MPhil |
| Occupation | Poet |
| Notable work | The River, 2015; When the Tree Falls, 2019 |
Personal life
editJane Clarke grew up on a farm in Fuerty, County Roscommon. She attended Fuerty National School and the Convent of Mercy, Roscommon. She won an international scholarship to the Lester B. Pearson United World College of the Pacific in Victoria, British Columbia, where she studied for an International Baccalaureate for two years. She holds an Honours BA in English and Philosophy from Trinity College Dublin[2] and an MPhil in Writing from the University of South Wales.[3] She also holds a diploma in action research from the University of Bath and a diploma in group analytic psychotherapy from the Institute of Group Analysis, UK.[4]
Clarke worked in community development, adult education and psychotherapy in Dublin for thirteen years. In 1999 she and her partner Isobel O’Duffy moved to live in Glenmalure, County Wicklow. Five years later she began writing poetry and now combines writing with mentoring and creative writing tutoring.
Writing
editClarke is the author of three poetry collections, The River (Bloodaxe Books, 2015) When the Tree Falls (Bloodaxe Books, 2019) and A Change in the Air (Bloodaxe Books, 2023), as well as an illustrated poetry booklet, All the Way Home, written in response to a family archive of First World War photographs and letters (Smith|Doorstop, 2019).
Much of her work is, in the words of the British poet Carol Rumens, "rooted in the landscape of the west of Ireland and the farming context in which the lives of individual humans are played out asserts its own rhythm and narrative. In honouring this larger context Clarke enlarges her poetic field with an unobtrusive but important ecopoetic dimension."[5] She has been heralded by the Welsh poet Tony Curtis as "one of the most rewarding poets in these islands".[6]
Awards
edit- 2010 iYeats International Poetry Competition[7]
- 2014 Listowel Writers’ Week Poetry Collection Prize[8]
- 2014 Trocaire/Poetry Ireland Poetry Competition[9]
- 2016 Hennessy Literary Award for Emerging Poetry[10][11]
- 2016 Listowel Writers’ Week Irish Poem of the Year Award[12]
- 2017 Arts Council of Ireland Literature Bursary[13]
- 2021 Forward Book of Poetry: Highly Commended[14]
- 2023 Forward Prize for Best Collection: shortlisted[15]
Publications
editPoetry collections
edit- Clarke, Jane (2015). The River. ISBN 978-1-78037-253-2. OCLC 1162495806.[16]
- Clarke, Jane (2019). When the tree falls. ISBN 978-1-78037-480-2. OCLC 1090281884.[17]
- Clarke, Jane (2023). A Change in the Air. ISBN 978-1-78037-659-2. OCLC 1334717530.[18]
Poetry booklet
edit- Clarke, Jane (2019). All the way home. ISBN 978-1-912196-68-5. OCLC 1126012827.[19]
Editor
edit- McClure, Shirley; Clarke, Jane (2019). Origami Doll: new and collected poems. ISBN 978-1-85132-210-7. OCLC 1089482228.[20]
- "The North - 61: The Irish Issue". The Poetry Business. Retrieved 21 September 2020.[21]
Reviews
editReferences
edit- ^ "Christmas gifts for readers: The Irish Times guide to best books of 2019". www.irishtimes.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Jane Clarke shortlisted for the Ondaatje prize". Trinity College Dublin.
- ^ "Alumna Jane Clarke launches new poetry collection". www.southwales.ac.uk. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
- ^ "Biography". www.janeclarkepoetry.ie. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
- ^ Rumens, Carol (7 October 2019). "Poem of the week: When winter comes by Jane Clarke". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "44 Poetry Books of 2019 as nominated by poets". Poetry Wales. 17 December 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Writer Jane wins international poetry honour". independent. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Shortlists for Literary Competitions 2014 Announced". Listowel Writers' Week Literary Festival. 1 May 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Winners of Trócaire and Poetry Ireland Poetry Competition 2015 announced | Poetry Ireland". www.poetryireland.ie. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ Carty, Ciaran. "Nominees for the Hennessy Literary Awards 2016". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ Clarke, Jane. "Hennessy Emerging Poetry Prize winner 2016: For Isobel; The Blue Bible; Every Tree". The Irish Times. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "An Post Irish Book Awards » The Listowel Writers' Week Poem of the Year 2016". Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ webmaster, Arts Council (4 March 2020). "Who we funded". www.artscouncil.ie. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "The Forward Book of Poetry 2021 by Various Poets | Waterstones". www.waterstones.com. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ^ "Forward prizes for poetry add new award for performed poems". Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "The River | Bloodaxe Books". www.bloodaxebooks.com. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "When the Tree Falls | Bloodaxe Books". www.bloodaxebooks.com. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "A Change in the Air | Bloodaxe Books". www.bloodaxebooks.com. Retrieved 11 July 2023.
- ^ "All the Way Home". The Poetry Business. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Clarke, Jane. "Origami Doll by Shirley McClure: poetry as life force". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ Society, Irish Literary. "The North, special Irish edition launch". Poetry London. Retrieved 13 November 2020.