Tod Marshall said a teacher once told him to listen to language and enjoy the wonderful sounds of poetry. After that moment, the world of poetry opened up to him.

Marshall, a poet will visit BookPeople of Moscow tomorrow at 7 p.m. to read from his latest poetry collection, “Bugle.” The University of Idaho English department is sponsoring the event, and refreshments will be provided and beer Conand wine will be available for purchase.

“‘Bugle’ talks about several things, and I hope that the various themes intertwine and connect,” Marshall said. “I’m a strict follower of the idea that a book of poems should add up to one big poem.”

Marshall said excavation plays a large role in the book.

“How do we dig up the raw stuff in our lives and make music?” Marshall asked. “How can we contain and shape those raw metals?  Or better, why do we do it?”

“Bugle” is not the first book Marshall has published, but he has a collection called “Range of the Possible” from 2002 in which he said he interviewed 20 poets over the course of a decade.

“That project was important to me because I think what these poems have to say about the art is important, and because I learned a lot from the process,” Marshall said.

Among the poets interviewed were Robert Wrigley from the University of Idaho, Don Revell and Dorianne Laux, Marshall said.

“Each of them taught me something about poetry and gave me permission to explore the many ways that poetry can be made,” Marshall said.

Marshall said he likes to think that each of his books is distinct from the previous one.

“That may be because I like to explore different poetic modes as a way of constantly reinvigorating my interest in the art,” Marshall said.

Aside from writing poetry, Marshall is an English professor at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington.

“I tell (students) to read widely, and I tell them to give themselves permission to fail,” Marshall said. “I tell them to be patient with their writing and to trust that if they work hard and dedicate themselves by really putting in the necessary time, then they will see results.”

Reporting by Brookelynn Graditi