A Mysterious Poet Joins The Blog
announcing a new experiment in collaborative writing with C. Evans Erickson
In response to my post about writing in community, a poet friend Cjersti Evans Erickson (nom de plume) reached out with a proposal: a poetry column.
Shoulder-to-Shoulder, Hand-in-Hand
Early in 2023, I wrote a prayer in “Burning Incense with New Friends” that God would draw beauty from the spaces between the interlocked fingers of his people. In writing together, I hope that C.E. Erickson and I will pull each other up when the other sinks down. A threefold cord is formed of our two lives and a common pursuit of glorifying God with good writing. And, as the writer of Ecclesiastes writes, “A threefold cord is not easily broken.”
Our Plan: Poet to Essayist Correspondence
So, how will this work? Expect a poem approximately every-other Tuesday for the next four months. The poems will thread into the essays I write. We are curious to find out how the two interact causally, and how your readerly input will play into the creative system.
Why this poet?
It’s hard to find objective measures for good poetry, once a basic competency threshold has been passed. I can’t say why Erickson’s affects me the way it does, but when I read it, I feel like my head’s on fire. Her poetry’s how I recently heard author Leif Enger describe Stonehenge—ancient, yet always new. Every time you look at it, no matter how many times you’ve seen it, you’re always shocked.
It’s iconic at first glance, but complex on second look. In Erickson’s poems, a dominant shape appears instantaneously in silhouette. Upon rereading, the bold, broad image of the first impression gives way to a myriad of smaller details, shifting upon observation, seemingly alive. The conceptual connections are careful and startlingly original. As with Stonehenge, you may ponder a while how they were made and ne’er find a good answer.
My tip: read it out loud. This poetry tastes good.
Keep your eyes out for her poems, coming soon.
For discussion: How would you describe your favorite poetry? Why do you like it?
This is an exciting addition! Looking forward to reading her poems here.
As to favorite poems: I love and ponder poems that are specified but with keyhole details that crack open the wider, longer view. Formal poetry has the compression to do this well (while also having a leg-up with memorize-able sounds and structure). That said, naming poets here is a lame gesture - same with individual poems, for some reason?
I’m excited about this, both for the poetry and the opportunity to see one example of what writing in community might look like.