Poetry & Fiction- Writers' Series Take Two
October 20, 2014
By: Cayla Marks
Salem State’s second Writers’ Series event premiered in the Metro Room of the Ellison Campus Center on Thursday, October 9th, 2014. Seventy people, give or take, eagerly awaited the creative works of poet Todd Davis and fiction novelist Steve Yarbrough.
Davis teaches English and Environmental Studies at Penn State; whereas, Yarbrough is a Creative Writing professor at Emerson College. Salem State’s very own J. D. Scrimgeour prefaced the authors each with a bit of biographical information, along with a glimpse into their style of work.
Todd Davis read a handful of original poems he penned, all of which are included in his collection of poems titled, In the Kingdom of the Ditch. Interestingly, he provided a personal anecdote and factoids relative to the understanding of the poem. He embodied an overall theme of spiritual and natural connections within his writing, and connected his work to experiences from his own life. As a hunter and a self-quoted tree-hugger, Davis utilized mystical, descriptive, and vivid language to truly capture the essence of the outdoors and other experiences.
Steve Yarbrough read two excerpts from his novel, The Realm of Last Chances. His third person account of Kristin, Matt, and Cal, three richly written personalities, exemplifies the beauty in character development. Unlike Davis, he claims not to have included personal experience in his writing: funny fictitious fiction. Yarbrough’s work is quick-witted, comical, and descriptive, an interesting story of these three complex characters.
The next Writer’s Series event is scheduled for Thursday, October 25th, 2014 at 7:30pm in the Metro Room of Ellison Campus Center, featuring poet SSU’s own Alexandria Peary.
Contributor’s Note: Cayla Marks likes videogames, photography, creative writing, and pugs. She is a freshman English major, and she really needs to declare her photography minor.