Dr. Steven Schild read aloud from his new poetry collection at “Pastries and Poetry: An evening with Steven Schild” on Feb. 14.
The collection, titled “These Humans,” covers a wide range of human emotion by exploring various topics, including the wisdom of the elderly, the love between a husband and wife, and the innocence of a young man heading to war.
Schild writes about the uniqueness of character, and how each person has something different to offer. His poem “Journeyman Student, Standout at Third,” is one such example, telling the story of a former student who was more comfortable on the baseball field than in the classroom. “I watched him play baseball once, and was amazed at how everything he did was right,” said Schild. He didn’t hit the most home runs or make the best plays, but when he was on the field everything fell into place.
The process of how poems come into being is a mystery to Schild. “I honestly don’t know where some of my poems come from,” he says. This is why he would never teach poetry, as the writing process is so diverse among people that it can’t be narrowed down.
Schild believes that the best poetry comes from ordinary people, and encourages both students and faculty to create some of their own.
Dr. Steven Schild with his new poetry collection “These Humans.” Photo courtesy of Jillian Alekna.