By Von Kennedy

Author and poet Paul Hostovsky will be visiting VSU Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. in the UC Magnolia Room to share his love of poetry.

Hostovsky has written four full-length poetry books since 2008 and compiled nine works total in his collection.

Hostovsky has been featured in online anthologies such as Poetry Daily and the Writer’s Almanac.

His works have also been published in literary magazines like the Atlanta Review, Carolina Quarterly and New Delta Review.

“It is important for the campus and community to support cultural events like this,” Dr. Marty Williams, professor of creative writing, said.

Hostovsky’s poetry is understood by various audiences.

Dr. Williams, and other members of the Georgia Poetry Circuit from Berry College, Brenau University, Columbus State, Georgia Southern, Georgia Perimeter College, Macon State College, Mercer University, UGA and VSU chose three writers in a voting process to tour select Georgia colleges.

This year’s writers were Dave Smith, Jacqueline Osherow and Hostovsky.

Smith and Osherow came to VSU last semester.

Dr. Williams teaches Hostovsky’s latest work, “Hurt into Beauty,” in his Introduction to Creative Writing Class.

Dr. Williams has not reviewed “Hurt into Beauty,” but feels great about this book considering his style in earlier works.

“His poetry style is accessible and has a lot of humor in his poetry,” said Dr. Williams.

On his website, the FutureCycle Press said “Hurt in Beauty,” “offers up the kind of fare that his readers keep coming back for. The humor mixed with poignancy, the heartbreak lined with a kind of palliative existential mischief in poems that explore the nature of pain, illness, beauty, childhood, Deaf people and sign language, the art of love and the art of poetry.”

Outside of writing poetry, Hostovsky makes a living working for the Massachusetts Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing as a sign language interpreter.

For more information on the event, email Dr. Williams at mlwillia@valdosta.edu.