What do you think?
Rate this book
Light-crossing
Light-Crossing is an electric field of love and attraction, where invisible currents conjoin, cross, and charge the atmosphere with possibility and latent tension. Whether discussing the love between father and infant son, a man and the woman he spots from afar, or a husband and wife, the poems pulse with eroticism and the sweet accretions of memory.
96 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
About the author
Michael Redhill
35 books171 followersAka Inger Ash Wolfe.
Michael Redhill is an American-born Canadian poet, playwright and novelist.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Redhill was raised in the metropolitan Toronto, Ontario area. He pursued one year of study at Indiana University, and then returned to Canada, completing his education at York University and the University of Toronto. He was on the editorial board of Coach House Press from 1993 to 1996, and is currently the publisher and editor of the Canadian literary magazine Brick.
His play, Building Jerusalem, depicts a meeting between Karl Pearson, Augusta Stowe-Gullen, Adelaide Hoodless, and Silas Tertius Rand on New Year's Eve night just prior to the 20th century.
Michael Redhill is an American-born Canadian poet, playwright and novelist.
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Redhill was raised in the metropolitan Toronto, Ontario area. He pursued one year of study at Indiana University, and then returned to Canada, completing his education at York University and the University of Toronto. He was on the editorial board of Coach House Press from 1993 to 1996, and is currently the publisher and editor of the Canadian literary magazine Brick.
His play, Building Jerusalem, depicts a meeting between Karl Pearson, Augusta Stowe-Gullen, Adelaide Hoodless, and Silas Tertius Rand on New Year's Eve night just prior to the 20th century.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 6, 2019
The poems in this collection are about desire, love, and togetherness. I found Light-crossing to be a bit boring and at times adolescent (which is odd considering it's Redhill's sixth book of poetry). There are a few poems I liked, but even those are merely better-than-average, not anything truly special. As always, his observations of nature and the seasons are original, but they only show up sparingly this time.
I really, really, really did not like the direction this book takes in the second half. Apparently his wife had a baby that almost died at birth. There are sooooo many poems about the baby and how it's such a precious miracle (ok, ok, he thankfully doesn't get that cliche, but more along the lines of: "They had you/in a tiny surplice, not knowing/they didn't have to make you look holy, you were/already ministering to me" ("Offering," p.60)). I mean...I get that he's happy for his family, but there are too many poems that are nauseatingly pregnancy-worshipping and child-centric. I think my least favourite was a poem called "Nuclear Family" in which he writes about his toddler watching animals on tv (he uses the word "Goggie" three times within seven lines. Yuck).
Final note is that this book has weird dimensions—it's half as tall and about 50% wider than a normal book of poetry. And yes, some of his poetry is long-winded enough that he actually manages to fill the space with his lines.
Poems that I liked:
"Heat Wave VII," "Cold Snap I," "Cold Snap V," "Cold Snap VI."
=4/57 (7%) poems that I liked.
I really, really, really did not like the direction this book takes in the second half. Apparently his wife had a baby that almost died at birth. There are sooooo many poems about the baby and how it's such a precious miracle (ok, ok, he thankfully doesn't get that cliche, but more along the lines of: "They had you/in a tiny surplice, not knowing/they didn't have to make you look holy, you were/already ministering to me" ("Offering," p.60)). I mean...I get that he's happy for his family, but there are too many poems that are nauseatingly pregnancy-worshipping and child-centric. I think my least favourite was a poem called "Nuclear Family" in which he writes about his toddler watching animals on tv (he uses the word "Goggie" three times within seven lines. Yuck).
Final note is that this book has weird dimensions—it's half as tall and about 50% wider than a normal book of poetry. And yes, some of his poetry is long-winded enough that he actually manages to fill the space with his lines.
Poems that I liked:
"Heat Wave VII," "Cold Snap I," "Cold Snap V," "Cold Snap VI."
=4/57 (7%) poems that I liked.
Displaying 1 of 1 review