Prof inspires with his poetry

The Kelly Writers House is known around campus for bringing in renowned poets, novelists, journalists and playwrights and having them share their craft with the Penn community. Last Thursday, however, the Writers House welcomed one of the University's very own writers for an intimate poetry reading session. English Professor Greg Djanikian, head of Penn's Creative Writing program, read 20 selections from his newest poetry collection, Years Later, to a crowd of more than 40 students, faculty members and other admirers. Laughter broke the silence at many points of the program, as Djanikian pondered the complexities of love and loss -- all while maintaining his sense of humor. Fellow English Professor Al Filreis, the director of the Writers House, provided a brief introduction to Djanikian's reading. "Years Later is a mature book about accepting and even coming to live without certitude," Filreis said. Djanikian told the audience that he gains his material from his own life, the strangers that he meets and stories that he hears. "[I wrote these poems to] explore the distances and disconnection between people who are intimate with each other," Djanikian said. Indeed, many of the poems read by Djanikian contained this theme of disconnection. For instance, the first poem of his book, "Something Unusual," describes a marriage dissolving and a couple who "could no longer apologize for who they were or what they had become." In "Tulip Magnolia," a tree that has died symbolizes a couple's relationship. In this poem, Djanikian describes the couple's feelings as they realize that their relationship is ending. And with "In Seeing," Djanikian describes the frustrations of a man trying to point out constellations to a woman who is unable to see the stars exactly as he does. Djanikian said this inability to know if someone sees what you are pointing to "is a problem of writing too." The reading was followed by a live jazz performance as attendees mingled, enjoying wine and hors d'oeuvres. The performers included Zachary Djanikian -- Greg's son -- Josh Kowitt and Fred Epstein. Djanikian gained high praise from students attending the reading. "I might gush if I start talking [about him]," College senior Laurie Kalb said. "I personally respect him as a writer outside of class." "I appeal to his genius," College senior Cassie Scherer said. "He's one of the best professors I've had at Penn." Djanikian, one of the original supporters of the Writers House, has published three prior collections of poetry -- The Man in the Middle, Falling Deeply into America and About Distance. He has received a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and has garnered several other awards for his writing.