Regi Claire

Regi Claire

Regi Claire (b. 1962, Münchwilen, Switzerland) has published two collections of short stories; ‘(Un)certainties’ is, unbelievably, not only her first published poem but the first poem she has written. An attempt to make sense of the death of her sister and sister’s partner in an accident at sea and its aftermath, it takes as its form a series of multiple choice questions; although we are apparently offered a choice, the ambiguity in the title insinuates that there’s little to choose between them.

Claire has described how she ‘cried as I wrote ‘(Un)Certainties’, cried as I wrote and re-wrote, cried as I read aloud. But I couldn’t let my sister go unsung.’

Listen to Regi’s podcasts for the Royal Literary Fund How I Write and Why I Write.

Photo credit: Dawn Marie Jones, Stoyanov and Jones

Forward Prize History:

• Forward Prize for Best Single Poem 2020, shortlisted for ‘(Un)certainties’ (Mslexia & PBS Women’s Poetry Competition)