Cities of Literature Scary Stories Anthology

Posted: Wednesday Oct 12, 2022

Dunedin UNESCO City of Literature invited poet, performer and critic Claire Lacey to be part of a striking Korean anthology with their moody poemhippocampus sea-horse (kámpos sea-monster).The project was conceived by Bucheon UNESCO City of Literature in partnership with the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Together they put a call out to the UNESCO Cities of Literature whānau for writing that was unique, preferably ‘scary, horror, spooky or strange’. Claire’s poem, first published in Landfall #239, was a perfect fit as it cleverly conjures up visual imagery in the mind’s eye just like a fantastic film:

Tail curls around kelp
locks tight
against tidepull.

We don’t swim well
that’s the joke
Poseidon’s steeds shrunk
to centimetres:
elegant, delicate, slow …

Claire Lacey is a Canadian author who lives and writes in Ōtepoti. Their first poetry collection, Twin Tongues, won the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry. Their second book, Selkie, is a graphic novel collaboration with artist Sachie Ogawa. Claire is currently working on a book of poetry about brain injury, which was the subject of their PhD thesis at the University of Otago.