Debut Poetry Collection Body Memory by Meriwether Clarke Explores Identity, Violence, and the Power of Remembrance
Unsolicited Press is proud to announce the release of Body Memory, the debut full-length poetry collection by Meriwether Clarke, available October 7, 2025. Distributed through Asterism, this striking collection of 100 pages (ISBN: 978-1-963115-62-8, $18.95) traces the formation of identity in a world marked by gendered violence and societal expectations.
Clarke’s poems navigate the delicate and fierce terrain of contemporary femininity. With lyrical precision, she illuminates the inner lives of women confronting personal loss, social isolation, and systemic oppression. In Body Memory, memory becomes both portal and cage, guiding the speaker through girlhood and womanhood while confronting the ways the body is witnessed—and at times, violated.
From Arizona deserts to the tender saplings of cottonwoods, Clarke’s imagery is vivid, raw, and unforgettable. Her work captures both the intimate tenderness of human connection and the righteous fury that arises when bodies and identities are constrained.
Meriwether Clarke’s poetry has appeared in Best New Poets, Cimarron Review, Colorado Review, Prairie Schooner, and more. She is a graduate of UC Irvine and Northwestern University and resides in Santa Barbara, California.
Body Memory is designed for readers who crave poetry that is at once intimate, challenging, and lyrical—perfect for literary enthusiasts, book clubs, and anyone interested in exploring the nuances of embodiment and identity.
