Christopher Janke's poems have appeared in Harper's, A Public Space, American Poetry Review and dozens of other journals. Among other projects, he is currently working on a series of poems entitled "of the of of the of" that explore the relationship between words and objects through visual and sculptural reinterpretations of the poems.

His blog on the process for a large-scale installation in progress is at christopherjanke.blogspot.com




of the of of the of #'s 1-9 handmade acrylic case edition


of the of of the of #1-9 acrylic edition (detail)
An art book of sorts consisting of 9 looseleaf books printed on vellum and mounted with magnets in a handmade acrylic case. Each book contains one poem and 9 visual re-interpretations of that poem and invites the reader to change and manipulate the layers. Can be wall-hung or displayed on a table.

of the of of the of

structure of the embryonic rat brain (Fence Books)


Structure of the Embryonic Rat Brain (Fence Books)
10 explosive stream-of-consciousness prose poems.

Called a "must read" by the Bloomsbury Review.

other current projects


Manuscripts under consideration:
-psalterium, a MS of 50 short poems. Selections published in A Public Space, American Poetry Review, Boston Review, and elsewhere. Finalist for the National Poetry Series 2008, 2010, 2011.

-blepharism, a 90-page poem around the spasm of an eyelid. Selections published in Bateau, Forklift Ohio, Conduit, Tarpaulin Sky, and elsewhere. Finalist and semi-finalist for the CSU prize.

-posthumous love poems and translations (in progress)

Christopher Janke's first book, Structure of the Embryonic Rat Brain, won the Fence Modern Poets Series prize. His poems have been published in Harper's, American Poetry Review, Ploughshares, A Public Space, Field, Forklift Ohio, Conduit, and dozens of other journals.

He fixes laundry machines, tends bar, and hosts a yearly lost-and-found fashion show on 3rd Street in Turners Falls, Mass. Across the river in Greenfield, he stacks wood, cooks, writes poems, and edits manuscripts for Slope Editions, where he is VP and Senior Editor.

"Janke is one of a very small handful of younger poets whose work manages to be both technically striking and humanly moving... "
–Franz Wright

Quick Links

Slope Editions (where Janke is Senior Editor)
The Rendezvous (a bar Janke co-owns)
Chester College of New England
Small Press Distribution