The Poet & The Architect, by Christine Stewart-Nuñez
Praise for The Poet & The Architect
With The Poet & The Architect, Christine Stewart-Nuñez explores the architecture of self within the context of love. In a series of rings, we are given an ever-expanding “architecture, / geometry a welcome language, / a new alphabet for / prayer and song.” It’s a book designed to be read cover to cover—as the central metaphor develops over the span of the collection with a wonderful crescendo arriving in the final poem. The Poet & The Architect is a nuanced and deftly crafted love story “distilled in syllables, / laid bare in the last line’s turn.” —Brian Turner
Christine Stewart-Nuñez, South Dakota’s Poet Laureate, is the author of four books of poetry, most recently Untrussed (University of New Mexico Press 2016) and Bluewords Greening (Terrapin Books 2016), winner of the 2018 Whirling Prize. She’s written several award-winning essays and co-edited two books that feature both literary and scholarly contributions on their subject matter: Scholars and Poets Talk About Queens (Palgrave MacMillan, 2015) and Action, Influence, Voice: Contemporary South Dakota Women (South Dakota Agricultural Heritage Museum, 2015). In 2019, the South Dakota Council of Teachers of English named her author of the year. As a professor at South Dakota State University, Christine’s teaching, creative work, and service have earned accolades, including the Dr. April Brooks Woman of Distinction Award (2020) and the Outstanding Experiential Learning Educator Award (2019). She served on the board of directors for the South Dakota State Poetry Society from 2012-2018 and edited its poetry magazine, Pasque Petals, from 2014-2018. She’s the founder of the Women Poets Collective, a regional group focused on advancing their writing through peer critique and support. Christine lives in Brookings with her husband, Brian T. Rex, a professor of architecture, and her two sons.
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