Introduction to Christina Pugh's Poetics
Apocalyptic writing has always grappled with the question of what language can reveal when the world seems on the verge of collapse, a query that also drives poetry.
In her 2024 collection "The Right Hand" from Tupelo Press, Christina Pugh transforms this ancient tension into an inquiry of both spirit and body.
To yield is a power
Her poems inherit the intensity of "The Book of Revelation" yet navigate the material world with an alert and visionary calm, rendering apocalypse as an opening rather than an ending.
Christina Pugh's work is reminiscent of French philosopher Gaston Bachelard's idea that
to read poetry is essentially to daydream, where daydreaming merges reality and imagination into a deep current, a concept that resonates throughout her poetry.
This current permeates each poem in "The Right Hand", imbuing ordinary matter with the ache of revelation.
Author's summary: Christina Pugh's poetry transforms apocalyptic tension into spiritual and bodily inquiry.