Story and images by: Jayden Presley
Poet Nickole Brown voiced topics of vulnerability and loneliness during the UM poetry reading event on Sept. 26.
Brown visited UM as a guest speaker for the BACHE Visiting Writers’ Series held in the Pat Scales Room of Carmichael Library.
Since February 2020, this is the first in-person reading event of the series due to COVID-19 precautions.
Senior English major Gabriel Talley said he had never read Brown’s work before the reading but loved hearing her presentation.
“I was invited by Meredith, who is another student that I work with in the Writing Center, and I was really blown away,” said Talley.
Brown is no stranger to UM’s campus. She visited in 2015 for the Montevallo Literary Festival to promote her book “Fanny Says”, a poetry collection about her late grandmother.
Though she is experienced in visiting campuses for poetry readings of her own work, Brown says she still hoped that “no one sees her hands shaking as much as they do”.
“I just get nervous,” said Brown. “I’m nervous today! You know, I mean, certainly you do it enough times and that helps. Practice, practice, practice. Most of my poems, as I write them, I’m speaking them aloud.”
To learn more about Nickole Brown, visit https://nickolebrown.com/
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