New Book Review

Amy George, editor of Bird's Eye Review, the online journal of contemporary narrative poetry, has generously reviewed my chapbook Philip & the Poet (2008, Mayapple Press). The review is online at 360 Main Street dot com. Here is an excerpt from the review:

Christ's poems are full of colorful snapshots of people, the poems themselves bearing the brightness of Polaroid moments. Along the journey, we meet monks in Tibet, Fyodor Dostoyevsky at a dinner party, and even God. In the title poem "Philip and the Poet," we are swept away with feelings of nostalgia as the speaker recalls watching a young boy dive into the water with a head full of imagination:

there goes Philip in my memory,
trotting toward the water, calling out
"To the Netherlands!" or maybe "To China!"

Read the full review here.

Paper Cuts

Tonight at The White Crow Conservatory of Music in Saginaw (Michigan, USA), I had the pleasure of meeting Eli and her friend Matt. Eli reminded me we had met before, when she was a student at Meridian High School. I worked there as a substitute teacher a few times, and I subbed for one of her teachers.

Eli DJs at the Christian pop/rock radio station I like (101.7 FM The Fuse). You can listen online at www.1017thefuse.com. I'm lucky because, as it turns out, The Fuse is one of my local radio stations here in mid-Michigan. I doubt that I would have heard of this station if it wasn't local. I enjoy hearing it in my car, at home in the morning and whenever.

Eli has a degree in English from Alma College which is also here in mid-Michigan. As part of her show at The Fuse, she reviews books. She calls her book reviews Paper Cuts. Naturally I thought of giving her a copy of my chapbook, Philip & the Poet (published by Mayapple Press, 2008), in the hope that she would review it. When I called the station during her show, Eli answered the phone and told me to send the book to her at the station (which I did without delay).

Eli reviewed my chapbook during another one of her shows, and I think she did a great job. The Fuse now has this Paper Cut online in a podcast. Listen to Eli's review of my chapbook, Philip & the Poet, online at www.1017thefuse.com. The widget down the right-hand side of the homepage has links that you can scroll through until you see the one you want. After you follow the link, click the 'Play' button to make it go.

Andy Christ at The White Crow

Siusan and Zig of The White Crow Conservatory of Music (AKA The Crow) are opening their doors to poets and their poetry once again. Be there next Tuesday, April 29th, at 7 p.m. The Crow is at 3736 Mackinaw in Saginaw, Michigan 48602. Phone 989-790-2118.

After I read for twenty minutes or so, a few other members of Saginaw's poetry group, the River Junction Poets, will read a few of their own poems. While they read I hope to sell and sign copies of my chapbook, Philip & the Poet published by Mayapple Press in February of 2008.

The event starts at 7 p.m.; it's $5 at the door and another $13 for the book.

-- "It is our goal to appreciate and improve our talents, to share our own work and to communicate the joys of poetry with others. Everyone's poetry is valued."
River Junction Poets Mission Statement

Philip & the Poet

This is the picture that served as the starting point for the cover of my chapbook collection of poems Philip & the Poet. The picture was posted at http://www.sxc.hu/ for anyone to use free of charge.







This is an early version of the cover.




This is closer to what the cover actually looks like.











You can order a copy of Philip & the Poet directly from the publisher, Mayapple Press. The publisher's website is www.mayapplepress.com.