The tone was somber in River’s End Bookstore as Stephanie Pritchard read aloud her poems concerning her encounters with domestic violence and her father’s ailing health.

A poetry reading was held inside the bookstore, located in downtown Oswego, on Wednesday. Oswego State’s Literary Citizenship class was in charge of organizing the event.

Pritchard, Oswego State’s adjunct instructor of English and creative writing, was one of the night’s two featured poets.

“I would probably consider myself more of a personal poet, so I tend to write about things that are happening either in or around my life,” Pritchard said.

The first poem read by Pritchard was an assignment she gave her students, which entailed that both she and her class begin their piece by thinking of a person’s hand. She chose her father.

“Aging,” Pritchard began. “Caterpillar veins. Clipped nails. A healing scrape by the thumb. These hands were never smooth. Just tender against a child’s shoulder.”

Another poem Pritchard read dealt with her father’s recently diagnosed degenerative eye disease, describing it as a man suffocating within a body.

“He senses the dark, but holds his breath,” Pritchard said.

Domestic violence was also a component in her pieces.

Poetry is not just an outlet for life troubles, but a connection with those that have the same life experiences, Pritchard said.

“The big thing we ask in the creative writing world is, ‘Okay you wrote this thing, why should anyone care about it?’” Pritchard said. “And I think that poetry readings are a really good way to find out if people care about what you have to say. I think that’s a really important part of being a creative writer.”

Adam Clay was the second poet featured taking work from his latest book of poems, titled, “Stranger.” Clay teaches at the University of Illinois Springfield and is co-editor of “TYPO Magazine.” He said a lot of his inspiration comes from his daughter, Penny, and the witty remarks she makes.

One of his poems, titled “Our Daily Becoming,” reviewed the notion that as more information is taken in, there is less recognition of what is happening around us.

“It should be easier to distinguish light from dark. Fabrications from memory,” he read.

Donna Steiner, the professor of the literary citizenship course, said she was asked by her colleague Laura Donnelly if the class wanted to take part in the poetry reading. Donnelly was also in charge of asking Clay and Pritchard to partake in the reading.

“I created the literary citizenship course, so that SUNY Oswego students could participate in projects that supported local and other writing communities,” Steiner said. “Students in the course find ways of making the literary community stronger.”

Alicia Hughes, a junior in the course, was one of the students in charge of the promotional and organizational side of the event.

“We’re trying to support local businesses, local bookstores,” Hughes said.

Brittney Castagna was another student in charge of organizing the event.

“Local businesses are the heart of any community,” Castagna said. “Many times they become overshadowed from bigger, more corporate businesses, but local business owners take the time to get to know their customers. They’re friendly, and even more welcoming.”

Camillo Licata, an Oswego State senior, said the reading helps him think of his own works.

“I love coming to poetry readings because I’m a poet and it gives me stuff to think about to,” Licata said. “It makes you think.”

Bill Reilly, the owner of River’s End Bookstore, has had looked for ways to encourage Oswego State students to visit his business for the past 19 years and said the reading was a wonderful opportunity to do so.