ERIE, Pa. — David Baker has been called “the most moving and expansive poet to come out of the American Midwest since James Wright.” The praise comes for good reason, according to Tom Noyes, professor of English and creative writing at Penn State Behrend.
“Baker’s poems are graceful and often quiet, but they resonate powerfully," Noyes said. “The work they do is both fragile and fearless.”
Baker will read poems from his latest collection, “Scavenger Loop,” on Thursday, April 4, when the 2018-19 Creative Writers Reading Series returns to Penn State Behrend. His 6 p.m. reading and the reception preceding it are free and open to the public. Both events will be held in the Larry and Kathryn Smith Chapel.
In “Scavenger Loop,” Baker explores the natural history of the Midwest and how individuals engage with their surroundings. The collection, one of 10 published by Baker, has been praised by critics for both its breadth and grace. The Missouri native has also authored three books of literary criticism.
Baker currently teaches at Denison University and serves as the poetry editor of the Kenyon Review. Outside of his published collections, his poetry has appeared in several publications, including The Atlantic Monthly, The Nation, The New Republic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Poetry and The Yale Review.
The Creative Writers Reading Series is produced by Penn State Behrend’s B.F.A. in Creative Writing degree program with support from the Clarence A. and Eugenie Baumann Smith Fund. For additional information, call 814-898-6108 or visit behrend.psu.edu/readings.