AACC welcomed poet Hayes Davis this Tuesday for a writer’s reading event in HUM 112. 

Davis spoke and read his poetry from his new book “Let Our Eyes Linger, a collection of poems  to a bevy of Students, staff, and outsiders.

“Davis’s poems tell stories about childhood that draw the reader from reality and put them into these little moments so small but so impactful,” Tomi Brunton, a third-year dual enrolled student, who introduced Davis at the reading, said. 

Davis’ writing focuses on stories throughout his life, from simple stories on the fear of learning how to drive to more serious comparisons about how he felt growing up about his father and how he approaches fatherhood. 

Davis spoke about how he strives to be creative in his poems and how he finds inspiration in every day.  “Personal experience… it’ll start with a line … sometimes they’ll start with a moment … sometimes a moment like that will strike me,” Davis said.

Davis was also inspired by literature he taught to his students when teaching, including Mark Twain’s “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” His book  features a sequence of poems from the perspective of Jim, a runaway slave, who’s story isn’t given much thought  in the original text. 

“I just remember the way that they flowed together,” Alya Carter, a first year visual art major, said. “And so the ones …  that were based off of Huckleberry Finn were very interesting, because that book stuck with me when I read it for the first time.” 

This event was the last of three Writers Reading events this semester. Writers Reading invites authors to speak or perform their work in front of students.

This article has been updated.