Expanding. Water. Ways

Claire Blotter's poems are vibrant and alive, rich in imagery and feeling, heart and soul and nature. She does the deep dive into who she is, uniquely, authentically, with insight and charm.

-Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author of Bird by Bird



Punch. Jab. Left Hook. Blotter dances into the ring. Swinging. Singing. Her poems score. Land in a flurry. Feints & knockouts. The writing experimental. Typographic glyphs. Performance puzzles. Incantations. "Harbingers of light in darkness / whispering foreign tongues." Percussive. Translucent. Verses opening their wings like hypnotic angels "soaring above the mundane world." Water, the foundational metaphor. Simple stories. Dazzling koans. Scripts as well as stanzas. Taking us underwater through childhood's refusal to forgive into the present's baptism of imperfect abundance.

-Art Goodtimes, author of Dancing on Edge, The McRedeye Poems



To experience Claire Blotter's poetry is to enter the world of a master, one who brings her whole heart and keen mind to each syllable, each rhythm, each space and sound. In doing so, she shapes "aha" moments, some gentle and quiet, some loud and fierce- creating exquisite poems worth far more than the time it takes to read them. Blotter also innovates in ways that startle both in the range of themes she explores and in the forms she invents. Her verve and willingness to experiment are unbound, and all of these unique qualities shine in her new collection, Expanding.Water.Ways. The use of periods in the title, alone, signals that something arresting is in store. And the theme of water, which she explores in ways only a true poet can, could not be more timely.

-Laura McHale Holland, Indie Excellence Gold Medal for Resilient Ruin



Claire Blotter's work reminds us what we are all made of and where we come from. Life's essential elements ebb and flow here, innovatively breaking open a world in need of cleansing. From God to a Whole Foods parking lot and from complex family relationships to nature's fragility and power, Claire's poems sting and buoy.

-Dana Teen Lomax, author of Disclosure