Willett whirs and waxes rhapsodic, yet never writes from disembodied fancy. He converses with what he classifies knowing that, if we’re lucky, our understanding falls within the margin of error.
Read MoreGlynn Young for Tweetspeak →
These poems by Willett remind us that the elegy is a living poetic form, needed as much now as it ever was. Perhaps even more.
Read MoreDaniel Rattelle for North American Anglican →
Unlike Rilke, Willet is not ultimately afraid of the perfection of angels. He can turn our morbid foreknowledge into Christian hope.
Read MoreMark S. Burrows for Mockingbird →
Precisely this “more” is what gives these poems their strong allure.
Read MoreLee Rossi for Rain Taxi
Is Willett a Christian writer, or someone who uses Christian tropes to explore his (sometimes) spiritual experience?
Read MoreMichael Minkoff, Jr. for Relief Journal →
Phases proves that poetry can be clever without being condescending… and touching without being sentimental.
Read MoreLee Rossi for Pedestal Magazine →
Phases is a wonderful book, filled with energy and thoughtfulness, resonant with the strenuous Christianity which still makes Hopkins and Donne pleasurable to read even in these post-Christian times.
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