The Stephen Dunn Visiting Writers Series has been ongoing at Stockton for many years, created by Stephen Dunn himself. Dunn was a professor of Creative Writing at Stockton for over 40 years before his passing in June 2021. The Visiting Writer Series continues as his powerful legacy at this University, inviting writers from all over the country to share their art, talent, and inspiration with students and faculty. Co-hosted by the Murphy Writing Center, Greg Djanikian presented as the latest writer in Dunn’s series.

Following an introduction from Professor Cynthia King, Djanikian took to the podium to read his poetry, talk about his writer’s journey, and answer burning questions about writing and success in the field. He has received a National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship, two prizes from Poetry Magazine, and many other accolades in the fields of literature and creative writing.

Djanikian described his experience moving from his childhood home of Alexandria, Egypt with Armenian parents to Pennsylvania through both stories and written poems. The poems contain great amounts of nostalgia, describing sweet and bitter moments in his life, small happenings that made significant memories, and the experience of learning English while adapting to a new environment. He attended the University of Pennsylvania, where he would also become the Director of Creative Writing.

One of the poems he read to describe his early childhood in Egypt was called “Alexandria, 1953.” It gave a great introduction to the reading, starting with Djanikian’s earliest memories prior to his family’s move to the United States. Other poems described his experience in the United States, getting accustomed to a brand-new place at a young age, and making new memories with new friends through mishaps in baseball.

During the Q&A, many audience members asked interesting and important questions. Dickson Moreno, a Murphy Writing volunteer and a Creative Writing student, asked, “Your first poem is about a place—which you described so beautifully—how did you write this poem?” Moreno wanted to know how a writer could describe a location with a good use of language, and to this, Djanikian responded, “You have to put yourself in that place; you have to imagine yourself [there], meditate on it, and start finding the most [ideas].”

When asked if he ever wrote poems that he knew were just for him, not the world, Djanikian humorously responded, “[yeah], usually they’re bad poems.” He then said, “I find that what I enjoy most is this connection that one has, as a writer, with the one who’s reading the work. As Donald Pollock once said, ‘Poetry is one inside person speaking to another inside person.’ I think that connection is very wonderful and really close together. The poems I write that I don’t show to the public—I’m displeased with. They’re in my drawer somewhere; sometimes, I take one out and I say, ‘oh, geez, did I write that?'”

He clarified that he doesn’t usually write purely for himself, rather, he focuses on poems he seeks to share.

At the end of the event, students were able to pick up free copies of “Nostalgia for the Future” and “Sojourners of the In-Between,” lining up to get their copies signed by Greg Djanikian himself. The Murphy Writing table also advertised their upcoming events, workshops, and retreats, such as their Annual Winter Poetry and Prose Getaway, which is taking place from January 16 through 19 near Atlantic City. Registration for the getaway closes November 20.

Djanikian’s reading concludes the Stephen Dunn series for the Fall semester. Another poetry series hosted by Murphy Writing is the World Above series, which takes place in the Noyes Arts Garage of Stockton University in Atlantic City. The next reading will be of Marina Carreira’s writing on Wednesday, November 19 at 7pm.