Phases

by Mischa Willett

In his critically-acclaimed debut volume, author Mischa Willett proves that vibrant religious poetry isn't dead.

Christian art is often overly sweet or overly too satisfied with easy answers. Phases is an antidote to poetry that is distant, abstract, or cute. It offers a Christian vision of the arts that is at once intellectual and visceral, strong and central. These poems make readers believe again.

From the widely published essayist, translator, and academic, this book soars with imagination, taking its place among the most essential--and memorable--voices in our current literature. 

Relief Journal "Phases proves...that poetry can be clever without being condescending, full without being congested, mysterious without being murky, fun (and funny) without being flippant, vulnerable without being self-indulgent, and touching without being sentimental." 

Scott Cairns says of author Mischa   "He employs surprising linguistic brilliance to compose oratoria that brighten the heart of his reader, even as they transpose the familiar, offering echoes of a prior song lovingly adapted to a new, an exhilarating voice."

Amazon

*Poetry

*Love Poems

*Inspirational and Religious Poetry

*Christian Poetry

*American Poetry

*Religion and Spirituality

*Christian Inspiration

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

Published March 16, 2017

Reviews

[Melinda Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Mischa read from this collection at the Queen Anne Book Company, and it was a Medieval Roman Theology, Abridged, that sold me on buying the book (after I told my spouse I wasn't going to buy any more books).

These poems resonated with me in ways that most modern poetry has not--one foot in this world and one foot in the veil of dreams and faith. I enjoyed it tremendously.

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look –

I’m not saying you have to love

Greek mythology or art history or classical Italian writers

to appreciate the poems in this book.

But it couldn’t hurt.

Elliptical, metaphysical, incorrigible,

and infused with wry humor,

sometimes I didn’t feel

smart enough

to get it,

whatever “it” was.

YMMW.

[Kelly Alberts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phases is a luminous and intellectually rich collection that moves gracefully between the sacred and the poetic, the earthly and the divine. Mischa Willett’s command of language is extraordinary each poem feels like an intricate constellation of thought, faith, and feeling. His play with form and tone keeps the reader alert to the power of words, while his depth of insight makes every line worth lingering over.