On the passing of my mentor, Stephen Dunn
I was devastated to learn this morning of the recent passing of Stephen Dunn . To many, he was a name in poetry collections. To others, of course, he was a friend. To me, he was a mentor. I’ve had the good fortune of being encouraged in my writing for just about my entire life. Teachers and colleagues and friends all encouraged me in my work. I was told that I was good, then I was told that I was very good, and at some point I started to believe it. By the time I enrolled at the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey (it’s a university now), 22 years ago, I was already a writer. Not really, but that’s the answer I would have given you if you’d asked. Stockton had a top-notch literature faculty. I am confident that that fact has not changed. But Stephen Dunn was its crown jewel. He was a celebrated poet, and he taught writing workshops. I was told many times to take one of them, and I did as soon as I could. They were small courses — around eight students — and they met for ...