Spartanburg Methodist College is pleased to host an intimate reading with acclaimed author John Lane on Tuesday, Sept. 26, at 7:00 p.m. at Gibbs Auditorium on the SMC campus. It is open to the public and is free of charge.

John Lane is a professor of English and Environmental Studies at Wofford College as well as the director of the Goodall Environmental Studies Center. His latest book, “Coyote Settles the South,” is a finalist for the John Burroughs Medal in Natural History Writing. Lane is also one of the co-founders of Spartanburg’s Hub City Writers Project.

Lane will be reading from “Anthropocene Blues,” a collection of essays and poems that touch on one’s relationship to space, and examines how climate and natural resources reflect society’s values and failures.

“John’s poems and essays are sad, beautiful, horrifying, and funny, sometimes all at once,” SMC English professor Kelly Neil says. “His narrative voice is often quiet and subtle, but the images he creates hang around in your mind for a long time.”

Lane’s work aligns with SMC’s core mission as a liberal arts college with an emphasis on community engagement, Neil adds.

The reading serves an opportunity to introduce contemporary poetry to new audiences. Poetry, and “Anthropocene Blues,” in particular, allow readers to see familiar things in new ways.

“Poetry isn’t out of touch,” Neil says. “Poetry can hit you so hard it knocks the breath out of you.”

Lane’s reading is sponsored by two SMC groups: the English Honor Society and the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee.