A nationally renowned poet gave a reading in Jonasson Hall in lieu of the library for the latest of the Readings at the Nic series on Feb. 25.

After a brief, commendable introduction by Professor Lex Runciman, poet David Baker took the podium in the flood-restored basement hall and read several of his poems.

His first poem was a striking, moving piece about his daughter growing up with severe ADHD. While the poem itself was heavy, Baker kept the mood light with a story about his same daughter coming up onstage once during a reading.

While he wrote several pieces on his family, Baker also shared pieces that showed his love for the English language.

With words, he said he likes to “borrow and steal and scavenge and put them all there together.”

He then read a piece called “Belong to,” in which he lifted lyrics from songs and experimented in weaving them into his poetry. He cited the 1950s song “You Belong to Me” as the main reference for the poem.

Baker then answered questions regarding his poems, as the poetry class is reading from his book Scavenger Loop. He talked about the inspiration for the titular poem, and how he considers himself a scavenger.

“I take all this language and reprocess and recycle,” he said.

He then told the group about his past experience with music, and why all his poems are syllabic and rhythmic.

“The math matters to me,” he said. “I write poems because it’s the combination of math and music. I write in syllables as a method of composition.”

He then went over his writing process with the audience, explaining why he often works on his poems for over a year, and how important it is for him to do research on the subjects of his poems.

Baker’s reading is the latest in the Reading at the Nic series, and one of the last ones Professor Runciman invited as he prepares for retirement.

“I always like to hear poetry read aloud … that’s how it’s meant to be,” said Lillie Moses,’17.

“Hearing the actual poet read it out loud–sometimes they bring a new meaning to it.”