Writing-lovers gathered at the Information Technology building auditorium to listen to the eclectic styles of poet Tony Barnstone at the Georgia Poetry Circuit Wednesday night.

Sponsored by Georgia Southern University and the Department of Writing and Linguistics, Mr. Barnstone was able to stop by and share his talents for poetry writing with students and faculty.

The Georgia Poetry Circuit began in the mid-1980s with the purpose of spreading the true meaning of literature to 10 Georgia colleges. GSU has been a part of the circuit since 1989, bringing three known poets each year to give readings from their own works.

Professor of the writing and linguistics department and coordinator of the event Eric Nelson found this to be a great way to teach students more about writing.

“(The purpose is) to give students an opportunity to meet contemporary writers, to see them in flesh and blood and not just as a piece of writing on a page,” Nelson said.

Barnstone was originally supposed to be joined by his father, Willis Barnstone, another established poet, who was unable to attend the event. Though he was not in attendance at the event, Nelson acknowledged Willis Barnstone’s presence in spirit. The evening’s commencements began with his son reading an excerpt from his father’s poetry book “Life Watch.”

Being raised “in a house where the walls were covered with (his father’s) books and (his) mom’s paintings,” it was inevitable that Tony would become an artist of sorts. He wrote his first poem at eight years old and got serious with his writing in college. He expresses why he chose this path of creative writing.

“Just having stubbornness is the most important thing, as well as ambition and not being as good at other things,” Barnstone said.

After his introduction, Barnstone approached the stage wearing a grin. He began the seminar with a sneak peak of his graphic novel followed by a slideshow of a visual art and poetry collaboration.

Barnstone is not only a reputable poet, but also the Albert Upton Chair of English at Whittier College in California. He read readings from three of his published works — “Tongue of War: From Pearl Harbor to Nagasaki,” “Sad Jazz Sonnets” and “The Golem of Los Angeles.” After the show, members of the audience were also able to purchase these collections as provided by Gray’s Books Store.

Barnstone also gave the audience a preview of three of his multimedia projects. These presentations featured a folk music album entitled “Tokyo Burning,” featuring vocalists John Clinebell and Ariana Hall, as well as a graphic novel called “Wolf Cree” and a tarot card deck.

Bringing a multimedia aspect to his writing communicates a different way of relaying poetry to readers. Barnstone is inspired by the capability to “bring the audience to life” and being able to “feel their reaction.”

“If you can bring in arts and music, it makes it better,” Barnstone said.

Some students found this creative idea to be very appealing. As a student who dabbles in poetry but has a passion for writing short stories, freshman writing and linguistics major Taylor Craft expressed her gratification.

“I thought that the making a sonnet into a graphical novel idea was amazing. I would’ve never thought of that,” Craft said.

The Georgia Poetry Circuit contributed to the growth of the many writers and fans of writing who attended this event.