Reading Poets’ First Collections: Hedy Habra and Andrew Calis

Last fall, I read new poetry collections by two poets I’d not encountered before – Hedy Habra and Andrew Calis. The poems of Habra’s Or Did You Ever See the Other Side? each begin with “or,” suggesting life’s alternatives and ambiguities. The poems by Calis in Which Seeds Will Grow? suggest hope can be found even in places and landscapes where it seems impossible.  

I liked both collections so much I decided to find and read their first collections, Tea in Heliopolis: Poems (2013) by Habra and Pilgrimages: Poems (2020) by Calis. 

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.

 

Some Tuesday Readings 

 

Writing in the Museum – Dorothea Laskey on ekphrastic poetry. 

 

“Rocky Mountain Railroad,” poem by Luci Shaw – Malcolm Guite.

 

New Year 1945 – Dietrich Bonhoeffer at Kingdom Poets (D.S. Martin).

 

Poetry Prompt: In the Wild Secret Place – L.L. Barkat at Tweetspeak Poetry.

 

Spellcaster – poem by Jeanine Hall Gailey at Every Day Poems.

Poets and Poems: Andrew Calis and "Which Seeds Will Grow?"

A friend recommend I read the poetry of Andrew Calis, and I soon discovered I was gingerly wading into one of the most contentious realities imaginable – the Mideast. 

Andrew Calis is a poet whose work has been featured in Dappled Things, The Atlantic, and several other literary publications.  He’s published two poetry collections, Pilgrimages in 2020 and Which Seeds Will Grow? just last month. He has a Ph.D. degree in English Literature from the Catholic University of America. He’s a high school English teacher and lives with his family in Maryland. 

 

He’s also a member of a family that belongs to what is the most overlooked group in conflict in the Mideast – Palestinian Christians.

To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry. 

Some Thursday Readings

 

The artist bringing Van Gogh’s paintings to life – without the use of AI – Aimee Dawson at The Art Newspaper. 

 

Have You Lost the Ability to Think Deeply? – Lydia Kinne at The Gospel Coalition.

 

The Deep Roots of Irish Anti-Semitism – Simon Sebag Montefiore at The Free Press.