Clint Smith has acquired a number of accolades over the course of his career. Photo by Mason Buysse. 

KATE NORROD | STAFF REPORTER | knorrod@butler.edu

Award-winning poet and writer, Clint Smith, visited Shelton Auditorium on Feb. 4 to deliver his installment of the Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series. He began with an introductory talk, which included walking the audience through some of his writing process and discoveries he made while researching for his nonfiction books. A poetry reading, open Q&A and book signing followed. 

Smith is the author of the New York Times Best Seller ‘How the Word Is Passed,’ a nonfiction book, and two poetry collections, ‘Counting Descent’ and ‘Above Ground.’ He currently works as a staff writer at The Atlantic. 

Jaden Dennis, an MFA creative writing student, got the opportunity to introduce Smith before his talk. Dennis read Smith’s first collection, ‘Counting Descent’ in a day and quickly became ‘obsessed.’ 

“When he wrote his first collection, you could tell immediately that that was a love letter to him, to his childhood, his adolescence [and] his life,” Dennis said. 

Smith read four poems, ranging in subject matter from war overseas to a post-dinner dance party with his young children. Smith attended Davidson College for his English B.A. and went on to study at Harvard University to earn his Ph.D. He has won multiple awards relating to poetry, including the Literary Award for Best Poetry Book and being a member of the National Poetry Slam winning team. 

First-year marketing major Addison Dukus was unfamiliar with Smith’s work and attended the event for her First-Year Seminar with Dr. Berkowitz. She has been to several installments now. 

“[The Visiting Writers Series] is just authors telling their truths, and hearing their stories is always fun,” Dukus said. 

Senior lecturer of biology, Marva Meadows, attended Smith’s talk at the recommendation of a friend. She and her husband both enjoyed the event. 

“[Smith] is an excellent speaker,” Meadows said. “He is very thoughtful. He’s clearly a smart guy that has some interesting observations and [the] ability to put things together.”

Dukus, Dennis and Meadows all emphasized the importance of listening to perspectives that differ from your own. Dennis cited Smith’s poetry. 

“I’ve always found that human beings are far more connected than they want to admit, regardless of our differences,” Dennis said. “When I read his work, it was very moving to be put in all these different [situations].”

Meadows discussed the challenge that can come with new viewpoints, reflecting on a story Smith told during the event. 

“[The Visiting Writers] bring up conversations that we might not seek out because they’re uncomfortable or we don’t want to know about them,” Meadows said. 

Dennis mentioned that in a time of uncertainty and unrest in the United States, it is increasingly important to “recognize that power comes from reading and learning.” He encouraged young people to keep reading and supporting local libraries and bookstores. 

Meadows discussed the importance of trying new things and listening to the perspectives and challenges of others. 

“I think in order for us to be better communicators, better teachers, better people [and] better humans, we should seek out opportunities like this,” Meadows said. 

The Vivian S. Delbrook Visiting Writers Series will continue with Morgan Parker on Feb. 19 at Shelton Auditorium.