#6 Press Pause: January by Clemency Emmet

The Wild Edge - with Clare Mulvany

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#6 Press Pause: January by Clemency Emmet

Your 5 minute (ish) creative retreat.

Clare Mulvany

Jan 01, 2025

Transcript

Hello all,

To mark the new year (hello 2025), I have a special poem for you for this week’s creative retreat on The Wild Edge. It is a poem I reach for each January, as a way of returning to the ‘domestic rhythm’ of the year, and into the wider questions it invites me into.

The poem comes from the collection ‘Fireseed’ by Clemency Emmet, her first book of poems, published when she was in her early eighties. Clemency was the grandmother of a friend of mine, Jeremy Emmet-Booth, and I first came across the work when Jeremy attended a poetry salon in my home, and shared one of her beautiful poems. The book came out a little later, published by Arlen House Press, and is also a collaboration with Jeremy’s mother-in-law, the talented artist Elizabeth Cope; in all a testament to family, creative stirrings and a powerful reminder that it is never too late to bring our creative work to the world.

In the audio, I read the poem, share a little more of the of the story behind it, and then read again. I hope you enjoy, and feel free to leave comments on the post. What questions does it invite you into? What stirs for you? I’d love to hear…

January

In the slow domestic rhythm of the year
January was the month of marmalade.
After the richness of Christmas
it came as a cleansing ritual,
the careful shedding of bitter oranges,
the sliding of sugar into the boiling pan.
Its golden heart lighting the winter day.
We filled the line of brilliant jars
as if, briefly, we could bottle the sun.

-Clemency Emmet, Fireseed, Arlen House Press.

…

You can a link to Fireseed here.

And more of Elizabeth Cope’s artwork here.

To all new subscribers, you are most welcome. You can read more about The Wild Edge over here.

What to expect from the The Wild Edge over the coming months…

I too have lots of creative stirrings for 2025, and have exciting creative plans for The Wild Edge.

For paid members, I’ll be writing more about navigating the creative process, sharing tips and tools for overcoming creative traps, plus lots of resources for following the creative rhythms and rituals of the year, working with the Celtic calendar as an honourable guide. There will be poetry salons and writing sanctuaries, and special seasonal salons… it would be wonderful to have you along.