Interview with Claire Meadows by AJ Allen, Editor of she-nanigans.net Sept 2012

I am meeting Claire Meadows at Charing Cross to find out a little more about Gold After, the debut poetry collection she has just published, and the person behind the words.

I found her to be charismatic, chatty, quick-witted while equally grounded. Leaving the corporate world in the city behind, Claire studied literature with the Open University and graduated in 2009. Seeking an outlet for her own creativity she founded Liquid Gallery. It promotes and exhibits her team of up-and-coming artists and designers, which she is passionate about.

Having seen for myself the energy and emotion that she throws into her work, I wonder where her zest and drive come from? “ I’m a workaholic, my mind is always racing with fresh ideas.”

There is a lot more to Claire than meets the eye. She demands professionalism from her clients, just as she gives 100% to them. She has shown a diverse artistic ability through different genres - artist, author and photographer. So what inspires her? “ I don’t believe in waiting for inspiration to fall in to my lap, I’m always on the go and have a constant vision in my mind.”

As with every area of her life, Claire is an open book. Events in her youth have deeply affected her - and it is due to her own tenacity that she has carved a successful career for herself, pouring her heart in to her poetry debut. The book firmly establishes her as a writer of merit. Some of the verses mirror real life and is written in her own unique style and inimitable voice.

How can you be so productive with so many things going on at once?  She says, “ Life is a juggling act, keeping all the important balls in the air. My problem is that I can’t switch off, but I do have a very supportive husband, who has been known to turn my phone off at times!”

I like her down-to-earth attitude. She is unfailingly polite, disarmingly honest about her insecurities, ambition and workload and reveals an all touching, colourful personality

Claire is excited by her upcoming projects including: the November launch of Nyne magazine which will cover the arts, current affairs and fashion. She is also promoting Blue Is For Girls, publicizing the handcrafted fashion accessories of Aiste G, one of Liquid Gallery’s most innovative artists.

The future is bright for Claire so where does she see herself five years from now? “To keep doing what I’m doing well, to keep effecting people with my work and to write a non-fiction book. Watch this space,” she laughs.

Claire has just started her follow-up poetry collection which is due out in 2012.  After meeting this intriguing lady I, for one, am looking forward to reading it.

Gold After - Book Review                  by AJ Allen

In, Gold After, Claire Meadows gives us a tender, yet profound debut poetry collection. First impressions count, and as soon as I turned the opening page, I wanted to read on. Her poems evolve naturally from the course of her life and she breathes a new energy in to the genre.

From the effortless lines:

You came to me,

Like the words upon that salt-breathed sea,

Like the sun upon my back,

As I lay

Unbending, anticipating,

To find myself waiting

For a sign, or

From you,

That kiss.

Claire captures the simplicity of language and rhythm. The original text give the words a unique texture and the overall effect is rather moving. We are taken on a journey through love, loss and hope in all its guises.

The last three poems - Triptych: Fathers Day, The Last Revolt and A Noble Ghost do not fit into the main body of the work. They are about the conflict provoked by the destruction in Iraq and Afghanistan, generations caught up in complex and ferocious struggles and the impact on our own psyche. Claire wants these poems “ to stand as my memorial to all we have lost.”

In the quiet elegance and understated style, she is equally at ease with verse of conscience as with those of people, relationships and realms.

This book should appeal to every mood and taste. Beautifully and carefully crafted it is certainly worth reading again and again.