The Wordsmiths Poetry Series began the academic year with poet Nathan Spoon, who recited some of his works on Thursday, Sept. 12 at Bucks in the Hicks Art Center. Spoon is an autistic poet who paints picture with his words. The art displayed throughout the room was made by self-taught artists with disabilities, just like Spoon and his poems. The theme of the exhibit was “Dreams of Flora and Fauna” and was funded in part by the

Cultural Affairs Committee. Language and Literature Professor Ethel Rackin spoke before Spoon came up to read. Rackin spoke of the importance of poetry by pointing out that “poems allow us to process our thoughts.”

Upon coming up to the front of the room, Spoon was admittedly nervous. He described his written expression disorder, saying that it made it hard for him to put thoughts into language. But he added that poetry helps because it is impossible to do wrong. Spoon started with a poem called, “Abraham Lake.” It was an image of nature and the realization that everything is not what it seems. Throughout, he expressed a longing for who he once was.

His second poem had similar themes as the first. He expressed a hunger for attention, a longing for knowledge, and a fear of himself buried in the soil of his own soul. “Cuddly Camo” was the title of Spoon’s third poem. In it he describes holding onto the romanticism of the past while incorporating it into the present. He describes himself as being “tickled” into writing and the irony of being stuck between two worlds. Spoon’s poems captivated the whole room.

The poetry reading was a part of the annual Wordsmiths Poetry Reading Series held at the college. For more information regarding the scheduled readings for this semester, visit https://www.bucks.edu/academics/department/lang-lit/wordsmiths