By Liz Maceda
NCPS Board Member-at-Large David E. Poston shared his inspiring journey in poetry with our intern Liz. Be sure to check out the North Carolina Literary Review in order to be the first to know about his thoughtful reviews.
David E. Poston is the author of four poetry collections, including Postmodern Bourgeois Poetaster Blues (which won the North Carolina Writers’ Network’s Randall Jarrell Chapbook Competition), Slow of Study, and Letting Go (a finalist for the Lena Shull Book Award and forthcoming in 2026. His work has appeared in Cider Press Review, Pembroke, The MacGuffin, The Southern Poetry Anthology, VII: North Carolina, Flying South, and other journals and anthologies. He is a Pushcart Prize nominee, a frequent book reviewer for North Carolina Literary Review, and a former Kakalak editor.
Who is David E. Poston?
In the world of North Carolina poetry, few people balance creativity, education, and service as thoughtfully as David E. Poston. As a board member of North Carolina Poetry Society, Poston has helped strengthen poetry communities across the state while continuing to build an impressive literary career of his own.
The North Carolina Poetry Society, founded in 1932, supports poets through workshops, contests, reading, and membership programs that encourage writers of all ages and backgrounds. As a Member-at-Large on the organization’s Board of Directors, Poston contributes to a statewide effort to keep poetry accessible, welcoming, and meaningful for emerging and experienced writers alike.
Poston’s journey as a writer reflects decades of dedication to literature and education. Raised in Moore County, North Carolina, he is a long-time Gaston County resident. He spent thirty years teaching in North Carolina public schools and also taught at UNC Charlotte and Charlotte Young Writers’ Workshop, where he encouraged students to explore their own voice through creative writing.
Beyond the classroom, Poston earned recognition as both a poet and literary critic. His poetry collections include Slow of Study and the award-winning chapbooks My Father Reading Greek, Postmodern Bourgeois Poetaster Blues and soon a new poetry collection from Fernwood Press entitled Letting Go. His work has appeared in respected literary journals such as Atlanta Review, Pembroke Magazine, and North Carolina Literary Review.
What makes Poston especially respected in North Carolina’s Literary community is his commitment to helping others grow as writers. He has led workshops for organizations including the Carolina Writers’ Network, Charlotte Lit, hospice programs in Charlotte and Gastonia, and the North Carolina Poetry Society. His work shows that poetry is not only about publishing books, but about building connections between people and communities.
Poston is also known for his thoughtful literary reviews, where he highlights the importance of North Carolina poets and their contribution to modern literature. His reviews often focus on themes of empathy, observations, and the emotional power of everyday experience.
Today, David E. Poston continues to serve as an important voice in North Carolina poetry. Through his teaching, writing, and leadership with the North Carolina Poetry society, he helps inspire a new generation of poets while honoring the rich literary traditions of the state.
Q & A with David Poston:
How did all your other accomplishments through poetry pave the way for your journey as Member-at-Large at the NCPS?
My six years as a co-editor of Kakalak were particularly helpful, both in forming connections and growing my craft. I have also served on the board of the Charlotte Writers’ Club as contest co-chair and on the boards of the Gaston Literacy Council and the Friends of the Gaston County Public Library. I am very grateful as well to have been involved with projects at Charlotte Lit (Charlotte Center for Literary Arts). In each case, the relationships and connections enriched my writing and my understanding of the writing community.
As a board member in NCPS which one contribution means the most to you?
I’m a newbie, but I may have found my niche this year as I helped proof Pinesong.
What are events you like attending as a Board member? What workshops, book readings, open mics, community events do you think other poets should attend as well?
NCPS events of course. In my area, events and workshops at Charlotte Lit and the Charlotte Writers’ Club. Poetry Hickory has excellent monthly readings and a vibrant poetry community, as do Waterbean Poetry Night in Huntersville and the monthly 7th Street Market reading in Charlotte. One should always support local independent bookstores–from Park Road Books to Malaprops to Scuppernong books to McIntyre’s–and groups such as Winston-Salem Writers.
As an educator with experience in literacy, what pieces of advice do you give fellow poets who would like to publish as a poet whose work has appeared in respected literary journals such as Atlanta Review, Pembroke Magazine, and North Carolina Literary Review? Are there poetry pieces that you have reviewed that still have you astonished?
Here’s a partial list of books that have left me astonished: Matt Donovan’s The Dug-Up Gun Museum, Bruce Bond’s patmos, Terri Kirby Erickson’s Night Talks. My earliest astonishments were Philip Larkin, Amy Clampitt, and Seamus Heaney; my most recent a re-discovery of Jane Mead. To segue into the rest of my answer: read widely, everything from current journals to collections to anthologies. Find a writing group and read at open-mics so you can present and polish your work with input from an audience before you submit.
What are things you are currently working on as a Member-at-Large and outside your position at the NCPS?
My wife and I lead an on-going book study group at our church. I have a new poetry collection coming out any time now from Fernwood Press entitled Letting Go. I continue to review poetry collections, to write poetry and some fiction, to edit and judge when asked, to attend readings and workshops (not as often as I’d like), and to participate in a terrific monthly poetry critique group.
Out of your collections Slow of Study and the award-winning chapbooks My Father Reading Greek and Postmodern Bourgeois Poetaster Blues which is your personal favorite? What makes it significant to you?
That’s like being asked to pick a favorite grandchild, but I’ll name two from Slow of Study: “Gentle Lamb, Ripe Apple” and “Tongue, Not a Word.” The first connects a childhood memory of my grandfather with an account of the death of Queen Elizabeth I. The second describes my classroom experience of watching my highschoolers watching A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
What common themes can be found in your poetry? What emotions do you evoke in the reader through your poems?
I write a lot of spiritually-themed poems that inhabit an area where faith and doubt and not-quite reverence intermingle. For instance, I’ve written about a mouse eating crumbs of communion bread, about Jesus and Chuck Norris, about hiding from zombies in a bathroom stall, about Robert Johnson at the crossroads, about someone sneezing during a Good Friday service, and about the great molasses flood in Boston. Whatever emotions that list evokes is probably indicative.
What did you love about being a Professor at UNC Charlotte and leader at Charlotte Young Writers’ Workshop? What types of workshops would you like to lead in the future?
Even though I was merely an adjunct teaching intro course at UNC Charlotte, I was fortunate to teach night classes with a cross-section of ages and life-experiences. It might seem contradictory, but the most fortuitous thing about Young Writers’ Workshop was being around those young and fearless and totally unawed kids. I would like to lead a poetry workshop in which every participant brings in the name of a highly acclaimed poet they do NOT admire and appreciate. Let them shock each other with the admission they just don’t get Louise Glück or Charles Wright and then discuss the merits of some of their poems together.