To satiate his Queen fix, Nester goes to "Queen-ventions" and is currently a member of Royal Vision, the North American Queen Fan Club. Jeffrey Morgan, a lecturer of English at Penn State, said, "He allows his poetry to translate because of his obsession. Obsession is our [poet's] credibility."
Nester's aim with his latest work is to connect with his audience, to demystify the often-heady world of poetry.
"I am not trying to stump anyone. This is not a game show," he said. "This is just a record nerd manifesto."
Nester's peculiar poetry uses familiar music to explore his life experiences. Richard Nash, Nester's publisher, said, "This book speaks to the ways people identify emotionally with the music they love. It shows how, as a teenager, Queen helped him understand the world around him."
Although Nester is certainly intrigued by the music of classic rockers Queen, he vehemently claims he likes other music.
He said, "I do have the new Strokes album, I swear."
Nester's book readings mirror the subject matter of God Save My Queen. He has been touring since it was first published in June. For these readings, he comes in with a setlist of poems, much like a rock band would have for a concert. Nester said, "I have some guitar picks with the name of my book on it, and I throw them out into the audience."
Nester's presentations are not typical poetry readings. His personality shines through, flavoring his talks with his signature style and humor.
"Daniel is a funny guy, effusive," Morgan said. "This is not going to be your button-down, sit-down, golf-clap reading."
At 10 a.m. tomorrow in the Grucci Room of the Burrowes Building, Nester will also host a presentation addressing online publications. Using his experience as contributing editor of Unpleasant Event Schedule, Nester will share his experiences and will field students' questions regarding this new niche of literature.
Nester said, "We'll see if I will rock University City ... er ... Park."
Who: Daniel Nester, poet