Ladies and gentlemen, ghosts and children of the state,
I am here because I could never get the hang of Time.
This hour, for example, would be like all the others
were it not for the rain falling through the roof.

-excerpt from Lighthead's Guide to the Galaxy
by Terrance Hayes

He sits in the audience at the National Book Awards Ceremony, the literary world's most prestigious event of the year. It is a night of high stakes, yet the Carnegie Mellon English professor is perfectly cool. Although Terrance Hayes is a nominee, he's sure he won't win. The coveted awards are usually reserved for writers near the end of prolific careers; Hayes is relatively new to the literary scene. It is the eve of his 39th birthday, and his nominated book of poetry, Lighthead (Penguin, 2010), is only his fourth published work. He has come to the ceremony with no expectations or anxiety-and no speech prepared.

When his name is called as the winner in the Poetry category, he's stunned. Stepping up to the microphone he offers a quick "thank you" to his wife and editor, hoping his mother-who offered plenty of advice for his acceptance speech-won't be disappointed in his brief remarks.

And yet the unexpectedness of the award has made it all the more sweet. As a student, teacher, and writer, Hayes has never placed too much value on the end result-on the degrees and titles that can seem to define a career. Instead, he has explored painting, writing, playing basketball-learning that "you can do a lot of stuff and still be a poet."
-Olivia O'Connor (A'13)