Poetry & Fiction

Poetry

Rachel is the author of two poetry books: These Mothers of Gods, published by Fly on the Wall Press in July 2021; and Moon Milk, published by Valley Press in 2018. Her poems have been widely published in literary magazines, including The Interpreter’s House, The London Magazine, Magma, New Welsh Review and Stand. Her work is available to read online in places like The London Magazine, And Other Poems, Frontier, Ink, Sweat and Tears and Wild Court. Rachel has had work commissioned by BBC Radio/ National Poetry Day, the British Library, Poet in the City and Apples & Snakes North. Rachel’s poems have been shortlisted for the Flambard Poetry Prize (Newcastle University) and The London Magazine Poetry Prize, and she has had winning poems in several competitions including the York Literature Festival Poetry Prize and the Mother’s Milk Books Writing Prize. She was Guest Editor of The A3 Review in 2020 and edited the Verse Matters anthology with Helen Mort in 2018 (Valley Press). Rachel is currently editing a poetry anthology with Simon Armitage (Faber & Faber).

“Rachel Bower portrays very early motherhood with startling originality, exploring the natural world in new and sensual ways.” Rebecca Goss, Judge’s Report, Flambard Poetry Prize

Fiction

Rachel won The London Magazine Short Story Prize 2019/20 and the W&A Short Story Competition 2020. She was shortlisted for The White Review Short Story Prize 2019, and has been longlisted for several awards, including The Royal Society of Literature’s V.S. Pritchett Short Story Prize 2019. She was also listed in the Top 60 in the BBC National Short Story Award 2020.

You can read her stories “Homing”, “Jelly Bloom“, “Three Lions” and “Potted Plants” online.

Rachel’s work is represented by Cathryn Summerhayes at Curtis Brown.

“In this time of isolation and uncertainty Rachel Bower’s story ‘Against the Tide’ shows that the consolation of great writing endures” Steven O’Brien, Co-editor of The London Magazine