PAUSING WITH A POEM – MAGIC IN THE AIR - FREEMAN CLAIRE PRICE WRITES ABOUT HER NEW POETRY BOOK
28 JULY 2025
The poems in this book seek to capture moments of magic I have experienced, encouraging the reader to stop and ponder. They invite a pause in our hectic lives to remember that existence is not always defined by visibility, nor significance by permanence. An insight, a musing, a vibe, a natural phenomenon, a spiritual presence, a flash of mystery, divine timing – all are described in these poems.
As with my three previous books, I did not set out to write a themed collection, it simply grew organically. I have rarely sat down intentionally to write a poem. I try to catch them when they appear, jotting them down hastily on a post-it note before a pan boils over, or on my phone in the middle of walking the dog. Sometimes they appear fully formed, often they need days of work.
I am not a prolific writer; my poetry books are small, with about 30 poems in each. Every book takes about three years to write and publish.
The first three titles Walking with Angels, Dancing with Love and Living with Joy turned out to form a trilogy, loosely based on my widow’s journey after my husband died in 2013. The poems have been described as “light-hearted yet profound”. Some of them are amusing, all are written in an accessible style.
Whatever their taste in poetry, it is an honour when readers – and there are hundreds – tell me about finding a poem they love and which resonates with them or describes a thought or feeling that they couldn’t quite express.
In 2022 the poems secured me a place on a two year Diploma in Creative Writing at Oxford University. While enjoying the challenge of assignments in every writing genre, I also produced a portfolio of poems, some of them are included in this new collection.
“The tuition has helped me hone my craft but I have had to remain true to my style. I cannot write poems any other way” I observed in the portfolio commentary. Fortunately, my tutor agreed. “Your reader will love these” she wrote. I can only hope that she is proved right.
Claire-Louise Price
Pausing with a Poem is published by Troubador on 28 September 2025, price £8.99. Available from Amazon, Troubador and all good bookshops.