Poet and BYU alumnus C. Wade Bentley read from a selection of his poems at the English Reading Series.
PROVO, Utah 
(Oct. 10, 2014)—At the English Reading Series, Wade Bentley, teacher, poet, and BYU alumnus, explored the subtle beauties of life’s monotony through his poetry.
“His poems often confront the waste-places of the human psyche, where loss, shame, failed ambition, bad relationships and broken faith threaten to devour any hope of signification, communion or purpose,” said Tamara Thomson, BYU English major and former student of Bentley’s.
Thomson continued, “His best poetic offerings provide solace and authenticity of emotion in a promise that out of our human predicament, beauty may still be formed.”
The poems Bentley read reflected on everyday life, finding meaning in even commonplace moments.
After his reading, one student asked Bentley how he developed his unique style as a poet and writer. “I think for people who want to write poetry, reading poetry is just essential,” said Bentley. “You have to see what other poets are doing and get used to the sound of it and the rhythms.”
He concluded, “You learn as far as tuning your ear and understanding what a good line sounds like and how sounds work
together. Gradually as you write on your own your voice starts to emerge and you notice that it’s not exactly the same as anyone else’s.”
C. Wade Bentley is an adjunct faculty member of the English department at Salt Lake Community College. He is currently working on a new book of poems entitled What Is Mine to be released in March of 2015.
For more information on C. Wade Bentley and his writing, visit his website.
—Sylvia Cutler (BA English ’17)