On Thursday, Sept. 19 at 7 p.m., the English department of Franciscan University hosted a poetry reading featuring adjunct Professor David Craig. Craig recently published a new book of poetry titled “Dimestore Saints: Sonnets from the Gospel of St. Matthew.”
Several English professors were in attendance, along with many students. Professor Joshua Kulseth introduced Craig to the audience.
Craig stepped up to the microphone and began by reciting a poem in honor of the Franciscans. He explained that each poem in “Dimestore Saints” corresponds to a chapter in the Gospel of Matthew. He also spoke about his process for writing poetry.
Craig’s focus for his poetry is on God and how he can best give glory to Him through his writing. He shared with his audience that he also spends time in prayer to gather inspiration for the poems.
After his reflection on the method of poetry, Craig read multiple excerpts from his new book. Before each reading—and sometimes during—he offered small pieces of commentary to give context and insight into the poems.
After he concluded his reading, the audience applauded, and the event transitioned into a question-and-answer session.
Offering advice to aspiring writers, Craig said, “Just start and realize that you’ve got to learn to cut yourself some slack, you know? You’re not going to be great on Tuesday. As someone said…it’s the long game…Expect it to take ten years. Someone said somewhere you need five thousand hours of practice to be good at anything.”