Poet/author Gary Gildner returned to visit Raymond Walters Wednesday, October 4. It has been nearly two years since Gildner had been here last. He delighted students with readings from some of his poems and a short story. Most of the works he read revolved around relationships, romantic, platonic, and otherwise. One of Gildner’s poems, “Statistics,” is about a statistic he read that stated that on average, couples of five years talk about 27 minutes per week. The poem was somewhat abstract and concentrated on how ludicrous some statistics seem.
Gildner related some of his work to Professor Rhonda Pettit’s Topics in Lit class. Professor Pettit was responsible for inviting Gildner back to the college, and it’s not surprising the Idaho resident would relate some of his works to science and the sacred, the topics for Professor Pettit’s class.
After the reading, students were given time to ask questions. Most students asked about his inspirations and his life. Gildner, a former athlete, developed an interest in writing when, after a sports injury, he spent the majority of the following summer reading.
He went to school in Michigan. After graduating, he moved to Iowa, then on to Idaho, where he lives now. A lot of his work is inspired not only by relationships, but the outdoors. A few of the poems he read were about some of the mountains and trails that sit around his Idaho home. Gildner was so warmly welcomed this time around, it’s probable he’ll be returning. Since his last visit was a couple years ago, hopefully his next will be sooner than that.