Claire Polders
@clairepolders.bsky.social
Author of 6 books and 100+ essays, stories, and book reviews. Born in the Netherlands, lived in Paris, married an American, and in love with Japan. Mindful nomad who dreams of being a rebel. She/her.
Reposted by Claire Polders
Wired to experience the world through words – talking to multilingual novelist, short story writer and memoirist Claire Polders
If you’ve read my memoir collection Not Quite Lost, you’ll know I am laughably inept at foreign languages. So I greatly admire people who can navigate a language that…
If you’ve read my memoir collection Not Quite Lost, you’ll know I am laughably inept at foreign languages. So I greatly admire people who can navigate a language that…
Wired to experience the world through words – talking to multilingual novelist, short story writer and memoirist Claire Polders
If you’ve read my memoir collection Not Quite Lost, you’ll know I am laughably inept at foreign languages. So I greatly admire people who can navigate a language that isn’t their inborn tongue. Especially if they write in it too. One of those people is Claire Polders, who published several novels in her native Dutch, and has now branched successfully into English.
nailyournovel.wordpress.com
September 30, 2025 at 7:12 AM
Reposted by Claire Polders
In research notes, @clairepolders.bsky.social writes about WOMAN OF THE HOUR (@vineleavespress.bsky.social). necessaryfiction.com/researchnote...
August 15, 2025 at 1:20 PM
In research notes, @clairepolders.bsky.social writes about WOMAN OF THE HOUR (@vineleavespress.bsky.social). necessaryfiction.com/researchnote...
Reposted by Claire Polders
"Polders strikes a delicate balance between the real and the imagined, between dream and wakefulness, between past and present." Marcus Tan reviews Claire Polders' Woman of the Hour. @clairepolders.bsky.social www.smokelong.com/defiance-des...
August 23, 2025 at 5:52 AM
"Polders strikes a delicate balance between the real and the imagined, between dream and wakefulness, between past and present." Marcus Tan reviews Claire Polders' Woman of the Hour. @clairepolders.bsky.social www.smokelong.com/defiance-des...
Reposted by Claire Polders
Crossing Borders in Language and Life booksbywomen.org/crossing-bor... by Claire Polders @clairepolders.bsky.social @vineleavespress.bsky.social
Crossing Borders in Language and Life - Women Writers, Women's Books
How writing in English—and traveling the world—made me a more daring author By Claire Polders I have many reasons for writing in English. I love the language, its words, grammar, and idioms. My husba...
booksbywomen.org
July 30, 2025 at 11:10 AM
Crossing Borders in Language and Life booksbywomen.org/crossing-bor... by Claire Polders @clairepolders.bsky.social @vineleavespress.bsky.social
It's pub day for WOMAN OF THE HOUR: Fifty Tales of Longing and Rebellion.
Thanks to my agent @marielamba.bsky.social, my publishers @vineleavespress.bsky.social, and all the editors who published my work!
Print: vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/wom...
E-book: bookshop.org/p/books/woma...
Thanks to my agent @marielamba.bsky.social, my publishers @vineleavespress.bsky.social, and all the editors who published my work!
Print: vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/wom...
E-book: bookshop.org/p/books/woma...
July 29, 2025 at 5:05 PM
It's pub day for WOMAN OF THE HOUR: Fifty Tales of Longing and Rebellion.
Thanks to my agent @marielamba.bsky.social, my publishers @vineleavespress.bsky.social, and all the editors who published my work!
Print: vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/wom...
E-book: bookshop.org/p/books/woma...
Thanks to my agent @marielamba.bsky.social, my publishers @vineleavespress.bsky.social, and all the editors who published my work!
Print: vineleavespress.myshopify.com/products/wom...
E-book: bookshop.org/p/books/woma...
Reposted by Claire Polders
Congratulations to miCRo contributor @clairepolders.bsky.social on today's release of WOMAN OF THE HOUR: FIFTY TALES OF LONGING AND REBELLION with @vineleavespress.bsky.social .
Woman of the Hour by Claire Polders
“The riveting characters in Woman of the Hour are full of desire, anger, regret, and darkness. Their fragmented lives are tough, but their grit inspires.” Grant Faulkner, executive producer on…
buff.ly
July 29, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Congratulations to miCRo contributor @clairepolders.bsky.social on today's release of WOMAN OF THE HOUR: FIFTY TALES OF LONGING AND REBELLION with @vineleavespress.bsky.social .
Reposted by Claire Polders
Excited to share this audio deal for Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency client @clairepolders.bsky.social Claire Polders' flash fiction collection WOMAN OF THE HOUR with Tantor Audio! @tantoraudio.bsky.social Congrats, Claire!
July 11, 2025 at 12:23 PM
Excited to share this audio deal for Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency client @clairepolders.bsky.social Claire Polders' flash fiction collection WOMAN OF THE HOUR with Tantor Audio! @tantoraudio.bsky.social Congrats, Claire!
Read this essay if you want to know what inspired writing is.
I can feel the joy the author had in creating this piece; Her energy and thoughts are pushing this story forward. Just great.
I can feel the joy the author had in creating this piece; Her energy and thoughts are pushing this story forward. Just great.
July 4, 2025 at 12:45 AM
Read this essay if you want to know what inspired writing is.
I can feel the joy the author had in creating this piece; Her energy and thoughts are pushing this story forward. Just great.
I can feel the joy the author had in creating this piece; Her energy and thoughts are pushing this story forward. Just great.
Reposted by Claire Polders
"I'm trespassing into the sacred lake of poetry without an invitation, because I’m not wise enough to become the writer I want to be in any other way." ~ @clairepolders.bsky.social brevity.wordpress.com/2025/06/30/p...
How The Sacred Lake of Poetry Can Bring Wisdom to Our Prose
By Claire Polders I’m not a poet. I voiced this denial multiple times in my life and with complete conviction. It’s the first thing I told Alyson Shelton when she invited me to contribute to her “W…
brevity.wordpress.com
June 30, 2025 at 11:11 AM
"I'm trespassing into the sacred lake of poetry without an invitation, because I’m not wise enough to become the writer I want to be in any other way." ~ @clairepolders.bsky.social brevity.wordpress.com/2025/06/30/p...
Reposted by Claire Polders
The Travel Wire: best travel reads No. 40
Comparing Da Nang and Nha Trang, the secret CIA base in Laos, the reinvention of Catania, Sumba is not Bali, and more travel reads.
www.thetravelwire.net/p/13-june-2025
Comparing Da Nang and Nha Trang, the secret CIA base in Laos, the reinvention of Catania, Sumba is not Bali, and more travel reads.
www.thetravelwire.net/p/13-june-2025
The Travel Wire: best travel reads #40
Comparing Da Nang and Nha Trang, the secret CIA base in Laos, the reinvention of Catania, Sumba is not Bali, and more travel reads.
www.thetravelwire.net
June 13, 2025 at 7:15 AM
The Travel Wire: best travel reads No. 40
Comparing Da Nang and Nha Trang, the secret CIA base in Laos, the reinvention of Catania, Sumba is not Bali, and more travel reads.
www.thetravelwire.net/p/13-june-2025
Comparing Da Nang and Nha Trang, the secret CIA base in Laos, the reinvention of Catania, Sumba is not Bali, and more travel reads.
www.thetravelwire.net/p/13-june-2025
Reposted by Claire Polders
"Fellow authors were publishing flash fiction collections with small, independent presses. I was genuinely happy for them ... but I wondered: Why are their collections getting published and not mine?"
@clairepolders.bsky.social discusses taking things into her own hands despite having an agent.
@clairepolders.bsky.social discusses taking things into her own hands despite having an agent.
What Happens When We Treat Agents and Publishers as Genuine Partners | Jane Friedman
If you write material outside your agent’s wheelhouse, don’t be afraid of making an unagented pitch. Each success is a win-win for both of you.
janefriedman.com
June 3, 2025 at 12:14 PM
"Fellow authors were publishing flash fiction collections with small, independent presses. I was genuinely happy for them ... but I wondered: Why are their collections getting published and not mine?"
@clairepolders.bsky.social discusses taking things into her own hands despite having an agent.
@clairepolders.bsky.social discusses taking things into her own hands despite having an agent.
The coalition government in the Netherlands has fallen. The far-right leader Geert Wilders withdrew because the other politicians didn’t give him what he wanted.
Does this mean democracy still works in the Netherlands?
Let’s see what happens in the next election. Cannot wait to vote!
Does this mean democracy still works in the Netherlands?
Let’s see what happens in the next election. Cannot wait to vote!
June 3, 2025 at 12:34 PM
The coalition government in the Netherlands has fallen. The far-right leader Geert Wilders withdrew because the other politicians didn’t give him what he wanted.
Does this mean democracy still works in the Netherlands?
Let’s see what happens in the next election. Cannot wait to vote!
Does this mean democracy still works in the Netherlands?
Let’s see what happens in the next election. Cannot wait to vote!
I’ve been busy rewriting my novel set in the Netherlands and Indonesia, and have hardly paid attention to my physical presence in Mexico.
Do you have this, too, this feeling of disconnect when you write, as though you’re living in two separate worlds?
Do you have this, too, this feeling of disconnect when you write, as though you’re living in two separate worlds?
May 29, 2025 at 12:00 AM
I’ve been busy rewriting my novel set in the Netherlands and Indonesia, and have hardly paid attention to my physical presence in Mexico.
Do you have this, too, this feeling of disconnect when you write, as though you’re living in two separate worlds?
Do you have this, too, this feeling of disconnect when you write, as though you’re living in two separate worlds?
I just bought tickets to Machu Picchu, and I’m as excited as a little kid!
It will be crowded in August, but I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying the Sacred Valley and discover the rest of Peru.
It will be crowded in August, but I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying the Sacred Valley and discover the rest of Peru.
May 23, 2025 at 1:53 PM
I just bought tickets to Machu Picchu, and I’m as excited as a little kid!
It will be crowded in August, but I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying the Sacred Valley and discover the rest of Peru.
It will be crowded in August, but I’m not going to let that stop me from enjoying the Sacred Valley and discover the rest of Peru.
Reposted by Claire Polders
We are open for poetry, creative nonfiction, and flash fiction through May 15th!
jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2025/05/04/s...
jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2025/05/04/s...
Submissions Now Open!
We are open for poetry, creative nonfiction, and flash fiction through May 15th!
jmwwblog.wordpress.com
May 4, 2025 at 10:51 PM
We are open for poetry, creative nonfiction, and flash fiction through May 15th!
jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2025/05/04/s...
jmwwblog.wordpress.com/2025/05/04/s...
Cover reveal for Woman of the Hour: Fifty Tales of Longing and Rebellion (Vine Leaves Press, July 29, 2025).
What do you think?
I have digital ARCs for reviewers and am available for podcasts, interviews, guest posts, and what all not. Please get in touch!
(clairepolders AT gmail DOT com)
What do you think?
I have digital ARCs for reviewers and am available for podcasts, interviews, guest posts, and what all not. Please get in touch!
(clairepolders AT gmail DOT com)
May 10, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Cover reveal for Woman of the Hour: Fifty Tales of Longing and Rebellion (Vine Leaves Press, July 29, 2025).
What do you think?
I have digital ARCs for reviewers and am available for podcasts, interviews, guest posts, and what all not. Please get in touch!
(clairepolders AT gmail DOT com)
What do you think?
I have digital ARCs for reviewers and am available for podcasts, interviews, guest posts, and what all not. Please get in touch!
(clairepolders AT gmail DOT com)
Reposted by Claire Polders
“Making peace with Israel as her home may be too much to ask, but in her moving memoir, a truce within her family and herself seems within Lang’s reach.”
Claire Polders reviews Jennifer Lang’s new memoir.
@clairepolders.bsky.social
worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/march/l...
Claire Polders reviews Jennifer Lang’s new memoir.
@clairepolders.bsky.social
worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/march/l...
April 7, 2025 at 5:06 PM
“Making peace with Israel as her home may be too much to ask, but in her moving memoir, a truce within her family and herself seems within Lang’s reach.”
Claire Polders reviews Jennifer Lang’s new memoir.
@clairepolders.bsky.social
worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/march/l...
Claire Polders reviews Jennifer Lang’s new memoir.
@clairepolders.bsky.social
worldliteraturetoday.org/2025/march/l...
Sea lions photobombing sunsets is a real problem on the Galápagos.
February 1, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Sea lions photobombing sunsets is a real problem on the Galápagos.
Reposted by Claire Polders
More great reads! Here's an all-time fav middle-grade novel - charming, powerful, magical in war-time Paris. A child brings magic and humanity with the help of a whale in the Seine! A WHALE IN PARIS (Atheneum) by @clairepolders.bsky.social & Daniel Presley #kidlit bookshop.org/p/books/a-wh...
A Whale in Paris a book by Daniel Presley, Claire Polders, and Erin McGuire
"Perfect for readers who love a touch of the fantastic and the impossible." --Booklist A hopeful and heroic girl befriends a small, lost whale during World War II and together they embark on a journey...
bookshop.org
December 19, 2024 at 3:35 PM
More great reads! Here's an all-time fav middle-grade novel - charming, powerful, magical in war-time Paris. A child brings magic and humanity with the help of a whale in the Seine! A WHALE IN PARIS (Atheneum) by @clairepolders.bsky.social & Daniel Presley #kidlit bookshop.org/p/books/a-wh...
Let’s meet the marine iguana today. Camouflaged in the brush on the beach, sunbathing on a boulder, or on its way to the supermarket near the dock. They’re huge and slow, unless they’re swimming. They’re wild!
January 26, 2025 at 12:47 PM
Let’s meet the marine iguana today. Camouflaged in the brush on the beach, sunbathing on a boulder, or on its way to the supermarket near the dock. They’re huge and slow, unless they’re swimming. They’re wild!
On our second day on San Christobal, I clambered over the rocks to watch this Blue-footed Boobie from up close. They seemed undisturbed by my presence, as they seemed undisturbed by the nearby presence of huge marine iguanas that freaked me out a bit. The Galápagos Islands are truly amazing.
January 25, 2025 at 2:02 PM
On our second day on San Christobal, I clambered over the rocks to watch this Blue-footed Boobie from up close. They seemed undisturbed by my presence, as they seemed undisturbed by the nearby presence of huge marine iguanas that freaked me out a bit. The Galápagos Islands are truly amazing.
Step aside with your cat pictures: I got baby seals!
January 24, 2025 at 4:38 AM
Step aside with your cat pictures: I got baby seals!
We made it to the Galapagos!
I am in awe.
It’s sea lion pup season.
I am in awe.
It’s sea lion pup season.
January 23, 2025 at 4:54 AM
We made it to the Galapagos!
I am in awe.
It’s sea lion pup season.
I am in awe.
It’s sea lion pup season.
The Galapagos Day 2.
Well, it’s still the day before our big adventure: Walking tour through Quito. Gawking at the Ecuadorian gargoyles at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Tasting premium chocolate (with 🌶️!). Observing the locals selling fruits, fried snacks, drinks, and masks.
Well, it’s still the day before our big adventure: Walking tour through Quito. Gawking at the Ecuadorian gargoyles at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Tasting premium chocolate (with 🌶️!). Observing the locals selling fruits, fried snacks, drinks, and masks.
January 22, 2025 at 1:48 AM
The Galapagos Day 2.
Well, it’s still the day before our big adventure: Walking tour through Quito. Gawking at the Ecuadorian gargoyles at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Tasting premium chocolate (with 🌶️!). Observing the locals selling fruits, fried snacks, drinks, and masks.
Well, it’s still the day before our big adventure: Walking tour through Quito. Gawking at the Ecuadorian gargoyles at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Tasting premium chocolate (with 🌶️!). Observing the locals selling fruits, fried snacks, drinks, and masks.
The Galapagos Day 1:
Left the USA with a 4-hour delay and arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, just in time to see the sunset from the road, just in time to gaze at the clouds grazing the mountains. Hungry, tired, yet grateful to be here.
Left the USA with a 4-hour delay and arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, just in time to see the sunset from the road, just in time to gaze at the clouds grazing the mountains. Hungry, tired, yet grateful to be here.
January 21, 2025 at 12:56 AM
The Galapagos Day 1:
Left the USA with a 4-hour delay and arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, just in time to see the sunset from the road, just in time to gaze at the clouds grazing the mountains. Hungry, tired, yet grateful to be here.
Left the USA with a 4-hour delay and arrived in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, just in time to see the sunset from the road, just in time to gaze at the clouds grazing the mountains. Hungry, tired, yet grateful to be here.