Phil Repko Flexes His Writing Skills, Publishes Original Poetry Collection, "Pieces of April"

Note from the editor: Save the date! Phil will host a reading, book signing, and reception at Studio B Art Gallery on January 12, 2025, from 1-3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served. Copies of his book will be available for sale. 

Local author, Phil Repko, is happy to announce the release of his first book of poetry, Pieces of April. The 165 page volume debuted Nov. 23, 2024  via Anxiety Press, and is currently available on Amazon. 

Pieces of April  has its origins in an annual challenge undertaken by Repko and his two sons, Philip, 38, and Ian, 33. The three have paid respect for verse by completing a poem for each day in April because  April is National Poetry Month in the United States. Though this volume is a solo effort by Phil, the selections owe more than a bit of debt to the interaction and inspiration provided by his sons.

The selections contained in this collection are primarily contemporary poems, but Repko’s grounding in the canon of traditional American and British literature is highly evident in the verse. Each chapter in the collection chronicles the themes and concerns for the calendar year in which they were written. Starting in 2023 and working backwards to 2016, the poems are rife with references to the cultural concerns of the day, while also incorporating the joys and sadness of daily life, universal themes accessible to everyone.

A long-time educator, Repko served as an English teacher in the Boyertown Area School District for almost 25 years, before continuing his career in education at Daniel Boone Area School District for another 11 years. He is currently serving as a Lower School Dean of Students at Renaissance Academy, a public charter school located in Phoenixville, PA. 

The author of The Measure, a column in The Boyertown Area Expression, Repko, 63, has been writing for most of the past forty years, though his pursuit of publication was limited before he successfully shopped this series of poems to Anxiety Press. 

Repko offers that he is excited about seeing if there is an audience out there for his creations. "I think the selections cover a broad enough range of insights and ideas, so that everyone can find something to love in the collection," he explains, adding, "Poetry is thriving through small, independent presses throughout the country, and the world. The fun is going to be in finding an audience to enjoy it all.”

"Pieces of April" is available in paperback from Amazon by clicking here; cost $15

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