Clare O'Brien
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clare o'brien, writer

about  ME


​Originally a Londoner, I now live and write by a sea-loch in the Scottish Highlands, which suits me much better.  Over the past decades, I've worked as a schoolteacher, an arts journalist,  PR to a Scottish politician and PA to an American rock star.   

My latest poetry pamphlet Breathing Out Becomes White and Snowfall was published in October 2025 with Intergraphia Books, following the publication of Who Am I Supposed To Be Driving?,  an ekphrastic collection in response to the music of David Bowie, which came out with London's Hedgehog Poetry Press in August 2022.  My literary novelette AIRLOC was published in February 2024 with ELJ Editions of New York. And I'm currently Poet In Residence at Inverewe Garden, a famous National Trust For Scotland property in Scotland's Wester Ross. Here's an interview about the work I've been doing there during 2025.

I'm now concentrating on finishing a full poetry collection, as yet untitled. I'm also working on my first novel, working title Light Switch. My work has most often been described as speculative, neo-noir or modern gothic, and I'm fascinated by the juxtaposition between our modern technological world and the much older creatures, both real and imagined, which wander through it.    Check out my publication history for details of my other work in print and online.

Want to see more of my writing?  Get the latest news by following me on BlueSky or Instagram
 NEW!   BREATHING OUT BECOMES WHITE AND SNOWFALL
​
A pamphlet of poetry written in response to heard voices

"These voices are not threatening; they are entirely benign. They seem unconcerned with the author, as though tuning into a frequency carrying random scraps of language; full of puns and wordplay, sometimes dark, sometimes playful, sometimes nonsensical."

​from intergraphia books - pamphlet series 4
Published October 2025
 Get more info or b
uy your copy HERE - only £6! 
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​WHO AM I SUPPOSED TO BE DRIVING?
"
It is writing that is urgent, vital and often visionary."
- Peter Carpenter, author of 'Bowieland: Walking in The Footsteps Of David'

A pamphlet of thirteen ekphrastic poems in
response to the music of David Bowie
​from Hedgehog Poetry Press
​
Order (paperback or e-book) on Amazon HERE
​Interviews, press coverage and more about
​the background to the book 
HERE !!! 
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  AIRLOC
A literary novelette set in the Scottish Highlands
about two old ladies ​and an unusual angel
​from ELJ Editions
Order (paperback or e-book) on Amazon HERE (UK) or HERE (US)
​Read more about it HERE
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  • Home
  • Publication History
  • AIRLOC
  • Who Am I Supposed To Be Driving?
  • Poetry
  • Prose
  • Songs
  • Journalism
  • Blog
  • Contact Form