Alumni Spotlight: Dolapo Demuren ’17
The Alumni Spotlight is a place to hear from the School of the Arts alumni community about their journeys as artists and creators.
Dolapo Demuren ’17 is a Nigerian-American writer from the Washington D.C. area. He received his B.A. in Writing Seminars from Johns Hopkins University, M.F.A. from Columbia University, and Ed.D from the University of Southern California. His honors include a Pushcart Prize nomination, fellowships from the Cave Canem Foundation and The Academy for Teachers, and scholarships from the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference. His poems and other writings are featured in the Adroit Journal, On the Seawall, Frogpond Journal, Prelude Magazine, and Small Orange Journal. He teaches creative writing at the University of Maryland College Park, where he is the associate director of the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House and a lecturer for the College of Arts and Humanities.
Was there a specific faculty member or peer who especially inspired you while at the School of the Arts? If so, who and how?
I learned from every member of the faculty that I studied with, and I learned most of all from Richard Howard. To me, the learning was more than the acquisition of skill and technique-- it was another kind of learning-- a personal learning. Richard helped me to believe in my own writing. His affirmations and generosity extended beyond the classroom (and even graduation). For years after finishing the MFA, I would bring my poems to Richard and he would patiently go over them with me-- line by line. I miss his reassuring smile and am grateful for the way he honored me with his time and honesty.
How did attending the School of the Arts impact your work and career as an artist?
My time at the School of the Arts was formative. The school provided a solid pedagogical framework for my teaching practice, adaptable for various audiences, from kindergartners to college students. I loved learning and being challenged, appreciating the diverse courses offered. I picked up something significant from all of my teachers: Lucie Brock Broido, Dorothea Lasky, Timothy Donnelly, Alan Gilbert, Joshua Bennett, Camille Rankine, Anne Dewitt, Alice Quinn, the list goes on. What I learned from them, I've shared with others-- returned to and augmented.
What was your favorite or most memorable class while at the School of the Arts?
My favorite class? I can't choose; I don't think so. Can I cheat a bit here? If you'd let me, then I'd say the entire first year was my favorite. There's nothing like the first. I remember taking the 1 or an express train up to 116th Street and climbing out of the stairwell smack-dab in front of the ever-open Columbia gates. I remember crossing onto campus and edging towards Dodge Hall. I couldn't wait to walk into the building—it didn't matter which class I was entering--I just felt so grateful to be learning alongside classmates I admired. I could name so many of them; I felt so lucky to have Evan Coles, Isabella Desendi, Anne Brink and Alex Bernstein as some of my first classmates. That year set a great foundation for me. I think back on that time fondly. What started then, I am still building on now.
What were the first steps you took after graduating?
My first steps were twofold: continued education and continued teacher training. I sought opportunities to fine-tune my writing at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference and Cave Canem, while working at schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
What advice would you give to recent graduates?
I have been thinking about something that Kazuo Ishiguro shares in his 2017 Nobel Prize for Literature Speech, which he titled "My Twentieth Century Evening – and Other Small Breakthroughs." He writes:
Stories can entertain, sometimes teach or argue a point. But for me the essential thing is that they communicate feelings. That they appeal to what we share as human beings across our borders and divides. There are large glamorous industries around stories; the book industry, the movie industry, the television industry, the theatre industry. But in the end, stories are about one person saying to another: This is the way it feels to me. Can you understand what I’m saying? Does it also feel this way to you?
To my fellow graduates, I am excited to stand with you-- in this great tradition of empowering others to deepen and access the incredible emotional literacy that art cultivates. Let's get to work!