D-E was recently graced with a campus visit from renowned poet Dr. Joshua Bennett, a Professor of Literature and Distinguished Chair of the Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr. Bennett is the author of five books, including The Sobbing School, a National Poetry Series selection and finalist for an NAACP Image Award. In 2009, he shared his original work at President Barack Obama’s Evening of Poetry, Music and the Spoken Word at The White House.

“Let your mind live in the space of imagination”

Jeremy Meserole P’26,’28’,’30, English Department Chair, co-hosted Dr. Bennett’s visit with D-E Chief Innovation Officer Ms. Diana Gross. Mr. Meserole revealed that he had met Dr. Bennett at the Dodge Poetry Festival, and invited him to speak to our Middle and Upper School students and engage in conversations with D-E faculty and staff.

Dr. Bennett began his day as the guest speaker during the Middle School (MS) Assembly in Schenck Auditorium, where Josie Meserole ’30 opened with a poem she wrote. The guest artist then gave a stirring spoken word performance ahead of a panel discussion with 8th Grade English Teacher Amanda Burnett, Ms. Gross, and Mr. Meserole.

Later that morning, Dr. Bennett visited the English class of Grade 10 Dean and Teacher Stephanie “Tuc” Tucker to discuss Toni Morrison’s “Song of Solomon,” and then he returned to Schenck for the Upper School (US) Assembly, which followed a similar format at the Middle School event. At this assembly, 9th grader Asia Newman ’28 presented a powerful poem of hers titled “The Weight of the Mask,” which Dr. Bennett described as “one of the best opening poems I’ve heard.”

The selections Dr. Bennett read, with a mesmerizing rhythmic cadence, for the US audience included a poem “Balaenoptera,” inspired by a fact he learned in an Oceanography course: that is, that “a blue whale has a heart the size of a car.” To introduce “Dad Poem #1,” a poem about his son, he noted how he was “fascinated by what technology makes possible” during the fall of 2020, when he had to use a smartphone to view his pregnant wife’s ultrasound appointment due to the hospital’s COVID protocols. 

The US panel discussion with Dr. Bennett included Tuc, Ms. Gross, and Mr. Meserole, who remarked, “We are incredibly lucky to have Dr. Bennett here with us today” and shared a line from Dr. Bennett’s bio about his hopes for “where poetry can take us if we are brave.”

When asked directly about the importance of poetry in trying times, Dr. Bennett declared, “I’ve been living in poetry my whole life… [poetry] is an occasion to remember we’re human.” He also described his work at MIT, for which he has lectured on the ethics of Artificial Intelligence and said he aims to help students connect with the human side of their feats and accomplishments. “Let your mind live in the space of imagination,” he counseled.

“That’s why we brought Dr. Bennett here today: to remind us that technical skills mean little without human insight.”

“As AI reshapes every industry, the future belongs to those who can think across disciplines. We need to prepare students not just to build the tools, but to question their impact,” Ms. Gross explained. “That’s why we brought Dr. Bennett here today: to remind us that technical skills mean little without human insight.”

Next on his agenda was a stop at the 7th Grade Front Porch in the MS Building to take questions from insightful Middle Schoolers, where we learned things such as Dr. Bennett’s early inclinations to be a preacher, a paleontologist, or an architect, before heading to The Imperatore Library for a well-attended book signing during the MS and US lunch periods.

Dr. Bennett concluded his visit with a roundtable luncheon with Mr. Meserole, Ms. Gross, US Principal Kim Lalli, MS Principal Jonathan Davis, Academic Chairs, US Deans, and Leadership Team members in Hulst House, to discuss potential future programming that cohesively blends STEM and Humanities-centered academic areas. Dr. Bennett shared the transformative possibilities of mentors and media (like poems) in multiple fields. He also described how his teaching at MIT encourages his students to think about the relationship between the joy of poetry and different approaches to problem-solving in their daily lives. Dr. Bennett even suggested a fitting, intriguing theme for this possible programming: “How to Make a Living, How to Make a Life.”

Thank you Dr. Joshua Bennett for sharing both your poetry and perspectives so memorably, and for making an impact on how D-E can consider new ways “…to foster in each student a passion for life-long learning”!