Claire Lacey
NationalPoetryMonth.ca April 9, 2023
From Claire
"In 2014 Claire Lacey experienced a life-altering concussion while playing roller derby. After Impact explores the sensory distortion and anxiety of living with head injury. As the fabric moves, it mimics blurred vision, dizziness, and difficulty with communication. The delicate, transparent organza represents fragility and vulnerability as the unfinished edges fray over time. The crooked lines of the poem invite the viewer to adjust their body in reaction to the text, echoing the left tilt Claire experienced as a result of a change to their balance and perception of their body in space. At the bottom, the letters of Claire’s roller derby name, Sparkle Motion, are heaped with the letters of their given name, both identities left in ruin, but the building blocks of the letters still present, an invitation to build something from the pieces.
The poem was installed at The White Box Gallery in Ōtepoti, Aotearoa in April/May of 2021."
Video of the launch reading of the fabric installation
About Claire
Claire Lacey (they/them) is a writer and performer from so-called Canada who currently lives and works in Ōtepoti, Aotearoa New Zealand. They have authored a book of poetry, Twin Tongues, a graphic novel, Selkie, and an essay in the anthology Impact: Women Writing After Concussion. They hold a PhD in poetry and brain injury from the University of Otago. Claire's work appears in NationalPoetryMonth.ca. You can find Claire online at clairelacey.ca
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Dear Claire - you take me on a journey every time I listen to you speak about your experiences with brain injury and every time I travel with you into your poetry. Thank you for sharing your gift of expressive language.