As a child, Carrie Olivia Adams never wanted to become a lawyer, a nurse or a CEO.

Instead, the Chicago-based writer spent her childhood dreaming of the career that felt most natural to her – that of a poet, living a literature-driven life.

“Being surrounded by books made me want to try to do something similar. It was . the world that I lived in, and it was . natural for me,” she said. “Now as an adult, I’m like, ‘Why didn’t I think to be an astronaut or a nuclear physicist or a diplomat?’”

Adams, a University alumna, released her first poetry collection, “Intervening Absence,” earlier this year. She is returning to the University as part of the Homecoming series of readings, which seeks to connect the campus with former students who have published their own work.

According to Jordana Rich, creative writing program coordinator, the readings are “usually very well-attended.”

Adams’ poetry explores the confines of language, featuring innovative structures, word combinations and images that present an alternative world for her readers. Adams’ poems tend to be constructed as a sequence of works, building upon each other to create a larger poetic entity.

“I’m intrigued by the architecture of poems,” Adams said. “I tend not to write stand-alone poems. Instead, they build over half a dozen poems in a series.”

Adams cites her interest in the many facets of language as a major factor in her poetic voice.

“I think it’s hard to be a writer and not be intrigued by language as a structure,” she said. “I’m constantly playing with words. They’re your tools, and if you’re not really innovating with them, then you’re not really doing your job.”

Despite writing since childhood, Adams didn’t begin submitting her work for review until her time in graduate school.

“It was a slow process. At one point, I had a shoe box of all my rejection letters. Eventually, you learn the literary landscape,” she said. “You . find your place, but it takes a while.”

For Adams, inspiration comes from a “broad spectrum” of sources, including science reference books, cinema and other literary works. And, of course, people-watching proves an excellent source for subject material.

“All I really need is my brown leather chair and a window. I feel like a voyeur,” she said. “As long as I can people-watch, I’m … inspired.”

A poet by night, Adams spends her days working as a publicist for the University of Chicago Press and as poetry editor for the independent publishing company Black Ocean. When referencing her own double-life, Adams cites “The Master Letters of Emily Dickinson” as a source for comparison.

“She was constantly thinking about a poem, or working towards a poem, whereas in my life, I’m not allowed to be that continuous,” she said. “The practicalities of modern life require you to move back and forth into different tones and states of mind.”

And even though the duality of her life can be “exhausting,” Adams said life as a poet proves to be a dream fulfilled.

“I’ve been writing since the beginning … I’ve never really thought about doing anything else.”