Download the press release HERE!
WHAT I SAY
“...I mean, who am I supposed to be driving?" Named after a spoken line in an outtake from his 1995 album 1.Outside, this is a collection of ekphrastic poems written in response to thirteen of David Bowie’s albums, from 1969’s Space Oddity to 2016’s Blackstar. The ultimate changeling, Bowie wrote songs that led us into landscapes as various and exotic as the characters he created to sing them. These poems aren’t a critique. They’re not a biography. They’re not an attempt to paraphrase or explain the music which inspired them. Instead, they’re an exploration of the emotions the work creates, and the lost worlds from which these iconic albums first emerged. Or perhaps they’re just the abstract thoughts of a flight controller, working the night shift, wishing Major Tom would return. |
WHAT OTHERS SAY
"Fizzes like a fuse connecting the classical world to the transient world of fame and celebrity. ‘Who Am I Supposed To Be Driving?’ is an intriguing and starkly beautiful tribute to the music of David Bowie … a poignant reminder of the power of music to inspire us, to move us, but also of its capacity to shape the darker corners of our minds." - Giles Kristian, Sunday Times bestselling author of Lancelot and the Raven trilogy. Read more HERE.
"You certainly do not need to be a fan of Bowie to appreciate these wonderful poems, which allow us to explore the capacity of music to prompt reflections on the nature of the human condition...this pamphlet is much more than an homage to his music, it has relevance for us all and I am confident that if you don’t know O’Brien’s work, you will not fail to be impressed by it." - Nigel Kent, poet.
Read more HERE.
“Captures the essence of Bowie … weaves worlds within us, reminding us not only of what we have lost but of what still remains. A stunning tribute to a mighty talent.” - L.G. Thomson , author of Modernist Dreams, Brutalist Nightmares and Boyle's Law.
"Clare O’Brien doesn’t shy away from the harsh reality of life, but the absorbing rhythm of words allows us to feel and investigate life from a different angle....the basic instinct of survival is put under the microscope, how we run away from our fears, when perhaps we need to face them. A powerful collection that cleverly captures the shadows that haunt us." - Helen Openshaw, poet
More press coverage...
My drop-in at Nigel Kent's poetry blog
Interview at Boots, Shoes & Fashion with Bowie enthusiast Linda Hobden
Interview on The Table Read with writer JJ Barnes
Interview on Smorgasbord with author LG. Thomson
Interview on The Wombwell Rainbow with poet Paul Brookes
Author page at Hedgehog Poetry Press
Member showcase at Autumn Voices
A WORD ABOUT THE COVER
The eye-catching cover design was created by Clare’s son, Edinburgh-based illustrator Ruairdhri Wright. Ruairdhri grew up in the Highlands, attending Gairloch High School and then Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, and like his mother, is a longstanding David Bowie fan.
WHERE TO BUY ONE
Signed copies of ‘Who Am I Supposed To Be Driving?” for £7.99 plus shipping, are available direct from the author HERE (pay via Paypal). Alternatively, order direct from Amazon. E-books are also available from publisher Hedgehog Poetry Press at just £3.99. Signed copies are also available to buy at The Button Bothy Studio in Poolewe, Wester Ross.
The eye-catching cover design was created by Clare’s son, Edinburgh-based illustrator Ruairdhri Wright. Ruairdhri grew up in the Highlands, attending Gairloch High School and then Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen, and like his mother, is a longstanding David Bowie fan.
WHERE TO BUY ONE
Signed copies of ‘Who Am I Supposed To Be Driving?” for £7.99 plus shipping, are available direct from the author HERE (pay via Paypal). Alternatively, order direct from Amazon. E-books are also available from publisher Hedgehog Poetry Press at just £3.99. Signed copies are also available to buy at The Button Bothy Studio in Poolewe, Wester Ross.
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