Writers in the Library welcomed back two alumni to Rocky Top Monday night.

Heather Dobbins, a former college scholar, and Christian Anton Gerard, a former student who holds a doctorate in English, read from of their collections of published poetry for this semester’s Writers in the Library series.

Marilyn Kallet, director of the UT Creative Writing Program, welcomed the writers to the Lindsay Young auditorium and gave the audience some background information, including her own praise of their success since graduating.

“I always tell people that the writers at UT, the students and the alumni, are among the best writers in this country,” Kallet bragged, “and tonight’s poets will help me prove that point.”

Heather Dobbins first read poems from her collection, “In the Low Houses.” The poems, while all different in structure and topic, united through common metaphors and themes, with many focused on love. Dobbins addressed this common occurrence as she talked between readings.

“She knows now, that every poem is a love poem,” Dobbins said about a poem called “Sixth Graders Discuss Poetry.”

In the name of transparency, Dobbins gave the backstory before each poem and evoked audience laughter with tidbits about poets themselves.

“I challenge you, find a poet not obsessed with hands and mouths,” Dobbins joked.

True to her word, hands and mouths did come up in Dobbins’s poetry, as well as in Gerard’s.

Gerard’s first poems were from his collection “Wilmot Here, Collect For Stella.” After that, he read some from his upcoming, second collection.

“I’m going to try something new,” Gerard said, introducing the new poems.

These poems were in first person and most mentioned his name directly, an element Gerard made clear from the start.

“Sometimes (the collection) is a little hyperbolically self-indulgent,” Gerard joked. “It’s bound to happen when you write in first person.”

The last poem Gerard read was a spur-of-the-moment decision but tied the evening together by creating similarity between his poems and Dobbins’s poems.

“I wasn’t gonna read this one, but since you mentioned hands and mouths … ,” Gerard said, causing laughter.

Gerard often caused the audience to laugh, while Dobbins usually caused a hush with the occasional murmur. The differences in their style showed through in the reactions of the audience.

Bennet Lemaster, a sophomore in English, noticed the differences in their style of writing.

“I really liked it,” Lemaster said. “I thought there was a cool balance. He was really funny, and she was kinda more serious.”

Matthew Schwartz, a sophomore in aerospace engineering, agreed with Lemaster. He also mentioned that Kallet’s thoughts on UT poets being some of the best in the world was spot on.

“Go Vols,” Schwartz exclaimed. “We have the best everything around here.”