Students, faculty, locals and poetry lovers flocked to Broome County Arts Council on State Street for the “Literati Reading Series.” The program featured poets Rachel McKibbens and Abby Murray and made the sometimes intimidating art of poetry accessible to everyone.

The November session was headlined by Rachel McKibbens, an activist, playwright and essayist as well as a poet. McKibbens addresses themes of infidelity, loneliness, gender and motherhood in her poems. She began with “Head Above Water,” a poem from her new book “Into the Dark & Emptying Field.” The piece confronts what she calls an “It,” which refers to any life-changing, personal, tragic event. The audience responded with murmurs of agreement to a few of McKibbens’ particularly haunting lines.

McKibbens freely offered insight into her personal life, mothering five children, growing up in a violent household and dealing with bipolar disorder.

“I’m not like Charlie Sheen, I don’t lock hookers in a closet or do lots of cocaine,” she said to the audience.

From McKibbens’ reading, which included poems like “The Giver” and “But Wait, It Gets Worse,” it was obvious that she has performed slam poetry. The latter poem expresses her grief at the loss of her niece, interspersed with lengthy pauses. Before reading the poem, McKibbens explained that the absence of language is still powerful language.

“I liked that her speaking voice was different from her poetry reading voice,” said Amanda Boltax, a junior double-majoring in computer science and English.

According to McKibbens, hearing poetry and reading poetry are completely different experiences.

“A poem isn’t really completed until it’s given to the air,” McKibbens said.

Tara Betts, a doctoral candidate in English, organized the series and hosted and coordinated this reading.

“I wanted to do something that was free and open to the public,” Betts said.

Betts emphasized her desire for free poetry events accessible to anyone. She has experience in the Chicago poetry community, coaching youth slam poetry teams whose members are now teachers themselves. She hopes to create opportunities for others through poetry, which the reading series continues to do.

Abby Murray, a graduate student studying English, opened the reading with her poem “Bones.” Her powerful images, like “crescent moons and teardrops of shrapnel spiral up the leg,” were often rooted in her personal experience as the wife of a soldier. Murray punctuated her poems with personal anecdotes that came to life in her poems. Her dynamic set included a poem called “Empty Glass,” about fruit, sex and women, and a piece musing on the simulated living spaces in IKEA.

“People have been listening to stories since birth,” Murray said. “It’s part of our biology.”

The program was sponsored by Binghamton University, the Binghamton Center for Writers, the creative writing program and Curcio Printing. McKibbens and Murray sold and signed their books and chatted with the audience after the reading. Previously featured poets include Nicole Santalucia, director of the Binghamton Poetry Project, Kyle Dargan and Jennifer L. Knox. The next reading in the series will be at 6 p.m. on Dec. 16, featuring Joseph Legaspi. The readings are free and accessible to anyone looking for an engaging poetry experience.