At first glance, he appears to be an average gentleman, but Brian Bartlett is far from ordinary. Brian Bartlett is a creative writing and literature professor at St. Mary鈥檚 University in Halifax, Nova Scotia and the author of a number of poetry books; his most recent publications include: The Watchmaker鈥檚 Table (2008) and Wanting the Day: Selected Poems (2003). On Thursday, October 30, Brian Bartlett came to Redeemer for a reading as part of the 2008-09 Poetry Reading Series, sponsored by Redeemer鈥檚 English Department. In this reading, Bartlett proved himself to be not only funny, but inspiring. His poetry reflects a number of themes gathered from daily life. Poems entitled 鈥淟ong Distance and Bleach,鈥 鈥淭eaching with a Cold,鈥 and 鈥淔oot Doctor for the Homeless鈥 largely sketch the type of genre he deals with. When asked where his ideas come from, Bartlett replied that some of the poems stem from real experiences, while others come from newspaper headlines. He experiments with different forms in his poetry, even referring to some of his poems as 鈥渇ound poems.鈥 Within the last twenty years, Bartlett has received a number of awards for his many decades鈥 worth of work. To one who understands the work that goes into each and every poem, these awards are well-deserved for a man who can make you laugh and reflect in the same poem.