Phases
Discover the luminous debut that established Mischa Willett as a vital voice in contemporary poetry.
Phases explores the cyclical nature of life, faith, and human experience through masterfully crafted verse. From humorous observations of daily life to profound meditations on spiritual transformation, these poems trace the essential rhythms that shape our existence.
Willett's keen eye for detail and musical language create poems that are both accessible and deeply layered. Whether examining the changing seasons, the phases of relationships, or the movements of the soul, this collection offers readers a thoughtful companion for life's inevitable transitions.
Perfect for readers who appreciate:
Contemporary poetry with spiritual depth
Accessible yet sophisticated verse
Themes of faith, nature, and human connection
Literary craftsmanship rooted in tradition
"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." -Relief Journal
What people are saying
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![Christian poet Scott Cairns]()
Scott Cairns
“Mischa Willett has a music all his own, albeit a music informed by years of his attending to the inexhaustible songs that comprise both world poetry and sacred text. He plays, therefore, with received matter, and 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.”
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![Webster poet]()
Jeremiah Webster
“There are echoes of the world Hopkins knew in Willett's collection, a world charged with the grandeur of God, but Phases is no mere act of mimesis. Willett's voice is his own, and his verse offers astonishing moments of confrontation and consolation. These poems name the reality of our shared human experience, and sing with wild abandon.”
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![Craft MFA Christian Poets]()
Kevin Craft
“Mischa Willett's Phases takes time in stride. These poems rub shoulders with classical figures and Biblical traditions, stoics and shepherds and sleep-deprived poets, the better to place the old stories in a contemporary light. I admire the epigrammatic wit, Martial-like in its cutting wryness.”
Sample Poem from Phases
In Phases, Mischa Willett captures life’s fleeting moments with faith and wry humor. “Pastoral,” is the lead poem from the collection, evoking the quiet grace of the quotidian. Discover more in this “Best Book” of 2017.
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Pastoral
Let us not overlook, he says looking out over
us from the lectern like a shepherd
with a crook of words bent on folding
us back into our pen, or penning
us back to our fold, the stupidity
and defenselessness of sheep.
We bleat: in this analogy, who
are we? He proceeds. Goats, you
see, can handle themselves. Horns
and hoofs, cranial helmets they ram
full tilt into posts, or other goats. But sheep
mind you, sheep have no homing device,
which is why stories begin with a lost one;
they’re even known to head toward danger
—oh look, a wolf! Let’s check it out!— in dumb
allegiance to the interesting, which I find
interesting, and think: how to amend
our sheepish ways? But he, to drive
home both the point and oh ye,
sighs it’s beyond you; beyond me.
About the author.
Dr. Mischa Willett is a celebrated poet and essayist, with scholarly articles and translations appearing in a wide range of venues. He is a practicing Anglican and Director of the Whitworth Writers’ Workshop, a low residence MFA in Creative Writing based in Spokane, WA.
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