26 April, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Jason Shinder was a poet who taught at Bennington College, where I did my MFA in creative writing. I didn’t study with him since I’m not a poet, but he was a really sweet and talented guy. One of my fondest memories of graduation from Bennington was when Jason, who was the faculty member chosen to read our names out as we came up to get our diplomas, actually pronounced my name correctly. No one ever says my name correctly at events like these, but he was intent on getting it right. I was so happy that I gave him a hug right there on the stage. For some reason, I’ll always remember that.
Too many people from Bennington have died. It’s really difficult to even comprehend. I wish Jason’s family and friends all the best during this difficult time.
Click through to read one of Jason’s poems:
Eternity
A poem written three thousand years ago
about a man who walks among horses
grazing on a hill under the small stars
comes to life on a page in a book
and the woman reading the poem
in her kitchen filled with a gold, metallic light
finds the experience of living in that moment
so vividly described as to make her feel known
to another; until the woman and the poet share
not only their souls but the exact silence
between each word. And every time the poem is read,
no matter her situation or her age,
this is more or less what happens.
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nina Says:
April 27th, 2008 at 10:22 pmthis is his sister….. thank you so much for your words. he was and will always be the best person i will ever know. my heart misses him sooooooo.
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Nina, thanks for your comment. Jason was a remarkable man and a great poet. All of us from Bennington will never forget him. He touched so many lives. I really wish you all the best. xx
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Cornelius Eady Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 12:11 amMy God. I am so sorry to hear this news. Jason I am go back to our days at the Writers Voice in NY. He was one of the most kind and smartest guys I knew. And given the poems of his I read in The New Yorker, a poet coming into his own. My deepest regrets and sympathy to his many friends and family. My I ask: How did he go?
All best,
Cornelius Eady -
Cornelius: Jason had been ill for a few years. My knowledge of this comes from the mailings Bennington alumni receive with updates on faculty, etc. The information I initially received from Bennington a few years ago stated that he had been diagnosed with acute leukemia and non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news…
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I’m so sad. I loved his work; he was one of my favorite poets. I remember hearing him read and just feeling like his words carried you away from the room into another place. I’m so sorry.
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Shari Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 2:17 amWhile I never worked with Jason when I was at Bennington–different genre–we became friendly. He always made me feel good about my writing and about myself. I remember at the end of one very late evening he spent with me and another friend he said, I leave you now, with a poem. Though I can’t recall the exact poem it was many verses long and beautifully recited from memory. It was the most wonderful nightcap I’ve ever had. I’m glad I had the chance to know Jason.
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daniela Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 7:34 amwhat a beautiful poem. so essentially a poem…
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Laura Orem Says:
April 28th, 2008 at 6:08 pmJason was one of the lights that save us all from darkness. I studied with Jason over ten years ago at Bennington, and I still carry him with me every day. Nina, our hearts are with you and your family - Jason talked about you all the time, and it was obvious to anyone how much he loved you. I remember a story he told about visiting your daughter’s class, and how every time things lagged, he’d pass out candy, “and they thought I was terrific!” he’d say. Oh, he was, he was! Poetry was such a gift to him, and I remember him telling me always say, when asked, “I am a poet,” that it was an honorable thing to be. I remember, too, how he always included other people’s poems in his readings, including this one. I have never been able to read it since without hearing his voice:
Spring and Fall: To A Young Child
by Gerard Manley HopkinsMargaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you will weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow’s springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.Now, it is Jason we mourn for, but how very lucky I feel to have known him, and how lucky the world is to have his poems.
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celeste w Says:
April 29th, 2008 at 5:21 amI knew Jason from his work with the YMCA. He was, as so many have now described him on their blogs, kind, sincere, wise, and inspiring.
As he once quoted to me in response to an email I sent stating that I missed working with him and working at the YMCA, “What thou lovest well remains.”
He was loved by so many and his spirit will remain with us.
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Nikki Dunas Says:
May 1st, 2008 at 10:04 pmi knew Jason through Bennington also. He was a man with greater generosity of spirit than most I know. He was always willing to look out and listen, even when he was in great pain. A few months before he died, he was still hanging out with students, listening to us, giving us his insight. I will miss him greatly.
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nina Says:
June 26th, 2008 at 5:15 amI LOVE READING ALL ABOUT HIM.. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE
