Rachael Clyne - Write On

You can hear my Seren podcast interview on here:  https://www.buzzsprout.com/2035359 I talk about my writing practice, and read some of the poems, as well as discussing the themes in my collection, You'll Never Be Anyone Else 

I feel honoured to be reading with poets Jacqueline Saphra and Jill Abram on November 26th at this afternoon event at the Museum of London in Docklands. It is not an easy time to be celebrating our Jewish heritage, but it seems important to remember and to share what it means to us and to extend our humanity. The museum is currently holding an exhibition in celebration of the Jewish contribution to the Carnaby Street fashion industry in the 60s.              https://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/museum-london-docklands/whats-on/fashion-city-poetry-and-music-museum?id=341608 This exhibition is also part of my own heritage. So many migrant Jews were involved in the rag trade. My grandma was a dressmaker and my father (like his father) was a ladies tailor and cutter. He trained in the thirties at one of the top London fashion houses Molyneux, where he made a suit for Marlene Deitrich. He moved to Southport in 1939, as tailor and cutter at Marshall & Snelg...

  Here's wishing you a plentiful poetic harvest on National Poetry Day. I'm very delighted to feature in this excellent podcast with a reading and an interview around identity and diversity issues. Many other poets also share their work and range of experiences. Definitely worth listening to.                                               https://spotifyanchor-web.app. link/e/TWBozBF4DDb .

Here's my new article about dealing with rejection for poets. It's on the Seren Blog site today: Dealing With Rejection and Disappointment Disappointment seems such a casual word for something that can haunt us.  It is not like missing a party; disappointment can leave scars that hamper motivation and confidence and turn to destructive envy.  Perhaps parents disappointed us, or we were told we were a constant disappointment by a parent or teacher, a painful label to overcome. It’s both interesting and useful to observe the process. I did this recently after devoting a year to putting together a collection and it was turned down several times. First came the sinking feeling that usually plugs into a history of previous publishing rejections. In my case, it went right back to an acting career inevitably fraught with rejection and disappointment, the last of which pretty much ended my career. I watched my ego dance about, trying to settle. Having received encouragement and g...

It's been a while since my book was launched in Teignmouth and Wells, both of which were joyous occasions. The Teignmouth event ended up with everyone celebrating themselves by dancing to music from a playlist specially designed for the occasion. Since then I was hit with a string of health issues, including a virus with high fever and the most dramatic viral rash.  This book represents the culmination of a lifetime of creativity, through acting, art and writing. My past, especially the showbiz bit, had amazing moments, but was often frustrating and dogged by some major disappointments. The therapist in me says, I suppose the illness could have been a releasing of past stuff. We store difficult psychological stuff in our unconscious and in our bodies.  Even good news can be a source of stress, as it changes our perception of ourselves.  I was intensely ill for a few days and have taken it slowly to convalesce. After all I'm in my seventies and my body needs all the help i...

  Here's a selection of Klezmer melodies, followed by a list of  'Feel Good About Yourself'  songs, to singalong and dance to. I hope you enjoy it. A special thanks to Hannah Linden for putting it all together for me, including some special requests. https://open.spotify.com/ playlist/ 554AABb3bMh7BSrQk3XAY3?si= 2f3e1886d1de498e

After a nailbiting delay at the printers, the books finally arrived today just in time before I set off for tomorrow's launch in Teignmouth. Delighted to have them in my hands.