Perhaps the best way to describe him is by what he doesn’t do. Christian is a modern renaissance man (poet, musician, educator, event host, etc.) who has been called a street beatnik, the spoken-word rockstar, and an artist to watch among other (mostly positive) things.

Regardless of the medium though, Christian’s objective is the same: to genuinely impact and connect with each audience he’s in front of. It is this mission statement that has motivated him to keep pushing himself to delve deeper as an artist, performer, and person.

Christian J. Collier is a 2015 Loft Spoken Word Immersion Fellow. This program is made possible by a major grant from the Surdna Foundation and by the generous support of Loft members.

He is an accomplished artist, public speaker, and educator who has shared the stage with several members of HBO’s Def Poetry cast, legendary poet and activist Ishmael Reed, Grammy-nominated artist Minton Sparks, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame members The Impressions, etc. Mr. Collier has also given a TED Talk and been featured on an episode of TNT’s State Farm Neighborhood Sessions with multi-platinum recording artist Usher Raymond. Repeatedly, he has been featured on the IndieFeed Performance Poetry Channel, which prides itself on featuring the best spoken word artists working today. Some of his works have been featured on The Guardian, and published in such publications as The Seven Hills Review, Dirty Chai, Freeze Ray, Voicemail Poems, Calliope Magazine, and The Origami Poetry Project to name a few, and his 2009 chapbook Ghosts & Echoes has sold hundreds of copies independently solely off the strength of readings and live performances.

In October of 2013, he released his debut EP Between Beauty & Bedlam, which he wrote and produced himself. The record fuses spoken word poetry and an eclectic mix of musical genres including Hip-Hop and ambient to make a sonic gumbo. It is available now at CD Baby, Bandcamp, at live performances, and from Christian’s website (christianjcollier.com).