Press

press quotes

"Thornton is an interviewer's dream."

~ Cork Independent, Ryan O'Neill

"Born and raised Chicago native, Clara Rose Thornton describes herself as the ultimate seeker: 'I seek to push beyond ideas of what others see as limitations for me — limitations of gender, of race, of nationality'."

"One thing she was sure she wanted to do in Ireland was 'to universalise the state of the ‘other’,' she says. 'I’ve got the sword and shield. Let’s go'.”

~ Metro Éireann, Kathryn Wooldridge

"Clara Rose Thornton feels most content anywhere she has a duvet, her laptop and a stack of books, which explains how she’s successfully managed to live across six different countries and yet still considers herself a 'homebody.'

As a spoken word artist and journalist, Clara has brought her unique worldview to readers, listeners and viewers the world over."

~ Stellar, Paula Lynne

"Last Friday’s Arena Culture Night Special was an example of the best that can be done in live arts broadcasting and was rounded off with a scintillating call to cultural solidarity by poet Clara Rose Thornton. The whole show is worth a listen back but we particularly recommend Clara’s ‘Latitude’ which you will find about 2 hrs 30 min in. I hope that literary festival organisers will find room for Clara Rose Thornton and other radically inspiring spoken word poets on their programmes in 2016."

~ Bogman's Cannon, RTÉ on Meeting House Square, Dave Lordan

"Clara Rose Thornton is a force to be reckoned with, and I personally wouldn’t fancy doing the reckoning."

~ Headstuff, Alvy Carragher

"Another world-traveling, very lively, very active spoken word performer who I greatly admire is Clara Rose Thornton, who's visiting us from the United States and gives us this wonderful piece, “Just a Show.” Passion, intelligence, eloquence – Clara Rose Thornton has all of those."

~ "Interzone," Garden County Radio, Dave Lordan

"[Clara Rose Thornton] is the 2014-15 Dublin Poetry Slam champion, and with an experienced background in culture journalism, her work is frequently incisive and insightful social commentary in poetic form. An impressive stage presence, meanwhile, only enhances the Whitmanesque universality of Thornton’s pieces."

~ Yeah!, Richard Gibney

"The showcase finished with an inimitable set by Clara Rose Thornton. Structured around geographical location, her poems came off as spontaneous, vibrant vignettes. Her delivery was unique, characterised by repeated phrases which lent the poems the feeling of hypnotic incantations. Whether describing a seedy New York or a ghostly, magical Paris, her poems had an enchanting immediacy about them that ensured we left the show in a wide-eyed, preoccupied sort of mood."

~ tn2 Magazine, Lingo Festival A-Musings showcase, Alicia Byrne Keane

"Group A turned out Cormac Fitz, David Braziel and Clara Rose Thornton; the latter’s bluesy tones and languid body swaying winked at the beatnik roots of slam poetry and made her arguably the stand out performer of the round."

~ Hunt and Gather, Lingo Festival Poetry Slam, Charlotte Ryan

"Although there was no muffling at the event, she was a clear and confident performer among a soft-spoken bunch, and she has the talent to reinforce her charisma. Clara has a sense of both meter and theatre; her work, absolutely tremendous on the page, is even better when seen live. Although there was plenty of humour from the poets, there was little glib about Thornton's work. Just a Show is available to view on Vimeo, to give you an idea of the sort of thing she does. Her poetry added an international element, ending things on a definite and powerful high."

~ Ragtag Giggagon blog, Lingo Festival A-Musings showcase, Richard Gibney

full articles

Click on an image below.

"I was looked down on as a black woman"
Cork Independent
Interview - narrative
Ireland / English

"Dublin-based Chicago artist is on her way to Indiependence"
Dublin People
Interview - Q&A
Ireland / English

"Clara Rose Thornton finds real rootedness in a diverse Ireland"
Metro Éireann
Interview - narrative
Ireland / English

"Why 'Get Out' Matters"
RTÉ Culture
Interview - narrative
Ireland / English

"Everyday sexism is rife, so girls need to have their voices heard"
Irish Independent
Speech coverage, sociocultural commentary
Ireland / English

"#AskHerMore: Journalist Clara Rose Thornton On Making A Home
Between Six Countries"
Stellar
Interview - Q&A
Ireland / English

"10 times the @Ireland Twitter account was a force for good"
Daily Edge
Social media curator review
Ireland / English

"Fried Plantains Collective puts black women centre stage"
Dublin Inquirer
Org. profile, performance review
Ireland / English

"We crammed into a Dublin basement for a poery 'slam' — here's what happened"
The Journal
Event coverage, performance review
Ireland / English

"Olivia Leary: The only currency in your life is time, don't let others dictate it"
The Irish Times
Live podcast event coverage
Ireland / English

"Fair Play: Artistic Beauty Beats Beastly Floodwaters"
Kilkenny Reporter
Interview, performance review
Ireland / English

"Neo-soul and poetry"
Totally Kilkenny
Event preview
Ireland / English

"Listen to These Spoken Word Poets From Lingo Festival"
Dublin Inquirer
Interview, two performances [audio]
Ireland / English

"A Celebration of Francis Hutcheson"
Discover Saintfield
Event coverage
[Lecture audio here.]
Ireland / English

Poetrystuff: Poetrybeat
Headstuff
Tour preview
Ireland / English

"Lingo Festival Dublin Review"
tn2 Magazine
Performance review
Ireland / English

"Lingo Spoken Word Festival: Sunday October 20th"
Hunt and Gather
Performance review
Ireland / English

"Ireland becomes fourth country in world to celebrate Black History Month"
The Journal
Event coverage
Ireland / English

"Clara Rose Thornton: Poezija, glazba i rusvaj"
Arteist
Interview - Q&A
Croatia / Croatian (Hrvatski)