Thursday, February 23, 2012

Ch-Ch-Checking In


It’s really hard to believe that February is almost done. This month has truly been a blur. A good blur on my end, but a blur nonetheless.

This past Saturday, Marcus Ellsworth and I had our reading at Winder Binder. It was big fun. We were treated to the sight of many friendly faces in the audience.



Marcus and I took turns reading poems and sharing a little bit about the stories behind them and our chapbooks in general. I was pleasantly surprised by the looks on the faces of those who stumbled upon the reading and by how many of them stayed until we finished. We even had the opportunity to speak to a few and snap a couple of pictures afterwards, so that’s ALWAYS a nice experience.

In other news, I wrote a poem called Confinement about seven years back. It’s a pretty personal piece and was intended for my manuscript. When I was putting Ghosts & Echoes together, I decided to include it in the collection to give people the advance opportunity to read it.

For a while now, I’ve had it in mind to record myself reading the piece, and I just haven’t been able to make it happen. Well, friends, that CHANGED on Sunday. It was a busy day for me, but I had a small window of about four free minutes, so I decided to finally make good on attempting the recording. The file below is what I managed to get in one take. I think I did a good job of capturing the emotion of the poem, but I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to hear what you fine folks out there in the interwebz think. Let me know!

Christian J. Collier - Confinement by Christian J. Collier

Well kids, that’s it for now. Be good, learn some things, and I’ll catch up with you very soon (I promise!).

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Transmission!


Greetings! Your Friendly Neighborhood Christian has been battling illness for the past two months (literally), and I decided to lay low for a few days and specifically focus on trying to get myself back to being somewhat well. I’ll be good for the reading THIS SATURDAY at Winder Binder… or, at least, well enough to be there and take you lovely people through some of the poems from Ghosts & Echoes.

I’m very pleased to say that MANIFEST: The Beautiful Nights Poetry Show went well. It was a cold night in Chattanooga, so I was pleasantly surprised to see so many people come through the door.

I was also pleased to the see poets get down. I said before that we would showcase some of the city’s most unique and dynamic voices, and after seeing each one on the stage again, I definitely stick by that statement.

I, personally, had the honor of unveiling a special somethin’ somethin’. I’ve been rehearsing for the past few weeks with a violinist named Sarah Smith, who happens to play with The Molly Maguires. We performed live for the first time last Saturday night. I’m hoping to get some tracks of the performance off the board to share with you. Having Sarah up there with me really added a new dimension to the work, and I’m really anxious to see what everyone thinks of the presentation.

You know, a lot has been developing lately. I’ve had the opportunity to solidify some more gigs and readings, as well as a number of other interesting activities. Stay on the lookout for everything that will be shaking out over the course of the next few months (yes, MONTHS). I’ll be making some announcements here in the near future.

Oh, and for the month of March, MANIFEST will actually be taking a break. No worries, kids, we’ll be back in April with AT LEAST two different performances. As for why we’re taking the first break in MANIFEST history, The Camp House would’ve had to move us to the third Saturday of the month, which just so happens to be St. Patrick’s Day. Rather than compete with every place serving beer and liquor in town, I decided to spend March solidifying April and May’s events, and focusing on my own activities.

Well gang, that’s all I’ve got for you right now. Bring yourselves to Winder Binder on Saturday. We’ll be jumping the book reading off at 2. It’s a good (and free) opportunity to get to know Marcus and me away from the cats that some of you have seen on the stage. We’re both looking forward to the chance to grab some face time, and, hopefully, hock our wears.

Blessings!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

MANIFEST Presents: More than Words


On Saturday, February 18th, two of Chattanooga’s most dynamic poets, Christian J. Collier and Marcus Ellsworth, will be reading selected works from their chapbooks at the Winder Binder Gallery & Bookstore (40 Frazier Avenue).

Christian J. Collier is an accomplished artist and the founder of the MANIFEST series that began in 2011. His books Ghosts & Echoes was released in 2009 and has sold over 400 copies independently solely off the strength of readings and live performances.

Marcus Ellsworth is the author of three books: Confessions of Ascension: Gabrielle, Harlequin Fires, and When the World Was Round. The latter was published in 2011 and contains a diverse selection of Ellsworth's poems.

The poetry reading reading will begin at 2 PM on the 18th. It is free and open to the public. Both Ghosts & Echoes and When the World Was Round will be available for $5.

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Things to Come


Greetings! Welcome to the short month of February. There are a lot of great things happening over the course of the next 24 days. I’ll let you know about a few.

First, MANIFEST will be making its Saturday debut this Saturday! I’ve been rehearsing, changing my set list, doing pub, etc. I’m really looking forward to the show. The energy surrounding it is wonderful. Hopefully, you’ll consider coming if you’re reading this. I guarantee satisfaction!

Next, on February 18th, Mr. Marcus Ellsworth aka Shag Sexy aka The GENERAL and I will be doing a joint poetry reading at Winder Binder. Things should get underway at 2. We’ll be hocking our chapbooks, so you should totally bring yourselves out and have some fun with Brother E and yours truly.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. There will be more updates later in the week, so stay tuned, be blessed, and I’ll see you when I see you.

Blessings