A New Collection Emerges After a Five-Year Publishing Hiatus

After a five-year pause from publishing new work, acclaimed poet Clare L. Martin has returned to the literary landscape with a powerful new project: a forthcoming collection of poetry titled Black Horse, Night. Known for her emotionally precise and spiritually resonant writing, Martin is once again diving into the depths of symbol, dream, and lived experience — and the early glimpses of this manuscript suggest an arresting evolution of her voice.

A Collection Rooted in Symbol and Spirit

In an in-depth interview with MockingHeart Review, Martin discusses how the imagery of horses has long occupied her inner life. Horses appear in her dreams, in her memories, and in the emotional terrains that inform her poetry. Those lifelong symbols now form the backbone of Black Horse, Night, a collection shaped by themes of:

loss and grief

transformation

spiritual resonance

personal myth-making

Martin also reflects on how therapeutic work — including her therapist’s background in equine therapy — subtly influenced both the emotional and symbolic direction of the manuscript.

Read the full interview:
https://mockingheartreview.com/2020/12/15/interview-with-a-poet-clare-l-martin/

One poem discussed in the interview, “Alpha and Omega,” stands as a luminous example of the collection’s tone: a tender, elegiac meditation on her first horse, Nacona, blending remembrance with archetypal imagery.

Early Glimpses: Poems Already in the World

Although Black Horse, Night is still in progress, readers can experience some of the energy and imagery behind the collection through Martin’s recent publications.

• Poems in 64 Parishes

Martin contributes a set of horse-centered poems that explore both the physical presence and mythic weight of the animal. These works offer an early window into the atmosphere that informs her new manuscript.
Read the poems:
https://64parishes.org/poetry-by-clare-l-martin

• Work in MockingHeart Review

In addition to her interview, the journal features Martin’s poems that echo the emotional landscapes and symbolic tensions now unfolding within Black Horse, Night.
Explore her presence in the journal:
https://mockingheartreview.com/2020/12/15/interview-with-a-poet-clare-l-martin/

Why This Return Matters

Clare L. Martin’s reemergence is significant not because she departed from poetry, but because she returns with a deeper, more contemplative commitment to it. Black Horse, Night represents:

A renewal of her artistic voice after a period of quiet introspection

An intensification of her thematic obsessions — grief, spirit, dream, and the body

A collection shaped by maturation, lived experience, and emotional clarity

Where some writers pivot between genres, Martin’s return affirms poetry as her home ground — the form through which she sees most clearly and speaks most powerfully.

Stay Connected to the Project

Readers eager to follow the development of Black Horse, Night can:

Explore her recently published poems in 64 Parishes

Read her MockingHeart Review interview for context and insight

Follow her updates through her website and author channels

Clare L. Martin’s return to publishing is more than a continuation — it is a rekindling. Black Horse, Night promises to be a vivid, spiritually charged, and emotionally resonant collection, and readers of contemporary poetry will not want to miss its arrival.