An evangeliary was a book of only those portions of the Gospel, Acts of the Apostles, and Old Testament texts that would be read at a Mass on a particular Sunday or a Holy Day. These books were extremely ornate, using rich colors, gold bindings, artful calligraphy, and highly emblematic covers. Among those emblems were, not surprisingly, drawings of the four evangelists whose Gospels were to be read, cathedrals, crosses and Marian symbols, and even portraits of princes who sponsored and donated these beautiful books. The practice of preparing these books dates back to the fourth century and reached its artistic peak in the eleventh and twelfth centuries. These holy books of the Gospels inspired this present book of poems, each of which is anchored in or alludes to a Biblical image, figure, parable, place, or trope.
Praise
“Again and again, I have found myself caught up in this latest collection of Philip Kolin’s lifelong work as a poet, reading and—yes—re-reading the words there on the page, new insights into the deeper inscapes of God’s luminous presence, even in darkness, revealing themselves in ever greater abundance.”—PAUL MARIANI, Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Boston College; author of Ordinary Time and All that Will Be New
“This beautiful collection draws on the depth and breadth of the Christian life and tradition in a structured series of poems that are not only learned and perceptive but lyrical and accessible as well.”—SARAH LAW, The Open University, London; founder of Amethyst Review and Amethyst Press; author of Therese: Poems
“In the tone of proclaiming the Gospel, the persona in Philip C. Kolin’s Evangeliaries creates an ambience for readers, not unlike that of participating in the Mass and other liturgical gatherings. Speaking now in declarations, now in imperatives, this voice gifts us with both a sweeping typological vision and a personal plea to holiness.”—MARY ANN B. MILLER, Caldwell University; founding editor-in-chief, Presence Journal
“Over the course of my life in poetry, I’ve read several books that transported me to greater understanding, or stunned me with beauty, or brought me to a world hidden in the deep corners of my imagination. But it’s rare indeed to find a book that glows with the clarity of white light. Philip Kolin’s new collection of poems, Evangeliaries, is exactly that kind of rarity.”—JACK B. BEDELL, Poet Laureate of Louisiana, 2017–2019; author of Ghost Forest
“Philip Kolin poetry will inspire readers to slow down to savor the rich spiritual landscapes he unfolds as they journey through Evangeliaries, ultimately reflecting on their own place in the divine story.”—FR. DAVID CONVERTINO, OFM, Director, St. Anthony’s Guild
About the Author
Philip C. Kolin is the Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus and Editor Emeritus of the Southern Quarterly at the University of Southern Mississippi. He has published over forty books on Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, and African American playwrights including fifteen collections of poems. Among these are Reading God’s Handwriting (Kaufmann Publishing, 2012); Departures: Poems (Negative Capability Press, 2014); Reaching Forever: Poems (Poiema Series, Cascade Books, 2019); Delta Tears: Poems (Main Street Rag, 2020); and Americorona:Poems about the Pandemic (Wipf and Stock, 2021). He has also published two books of poems about Civil Rights: Emmett Till in Different States: Poems (Third World Press, 2015) and White Terror, Black Trauma: Resistance Poems aboutBlack History (Third World Press, 2023). And he has co-edited three anthologies of eco-poems on Katrina, the Mississippi River, and about the moon. His poems have appeared in Agape, African American Review, America Magazine, CatholicPoetry Room, Christianity and Literature, Christian Century, Ekstasis, ISLE, Amethyst, Michigan Quarterly Review, Presence: A Journal of Catholic Poetry, St. Austin Review, St. Katherine Review, Spiritus, Sojourners, U.S. Catholic, The Windhover, etc.
