National Celebration Reveals Pockets of Writers on Campus
Literature majors Dickson Moreno, left, and Esmeralda Rivera, right, posed for a photo with (cardboard cutouts of) esteemed authors Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson during Oct. 20's National Day on Writing celebration.
Galloway, N.J. – Through a collaborative partnership of writing-centered groups on Stockton University’s campus, students explored different aspects of the written word through various activities on Monday, Oct. 20.
These activities, which included impromptu haiku creation and sending pre-stamped postcards to friends and family, were part of Stockton’s first foray into celebrating National Day on Writing (NDOW), a day in which all forms of writing and writers are recognized.
Students had the pick of four stations across campus – in addition to the haiku and postcard stations, there was a selfie station complete with cardboard cutouts of esteemed authors Edgar Allen Poe and Emily Dickinson, and an “exquisite corpse” station where students submitted a line of prose that would be utilized in a large community poem.
For Esmeralda Rivera, a Literature major who volunteered for the day with Murphy Writing of Stockton University, the day of celebration across campus was a “motivator” that helped her through a case of writer’s block. It also reminded her how large Stockton’s writing community is.
“Working with Murphy Writing has been a great opportunity,” Rivera said, sharing that she’s looking to intern with the center. “I feel like it's a great way to meet new people who share my same interests and passion for creative writing.”
Dickson Moreno, of Atlantic City, echoed Rivera’s sentiments. “Being able to explore what you want to express with haikus and the other activities showed everyone how fun writing is,” said the Literature major.
Social Work major Barbara Montes also volunteers and works with Murphy Writing. She appreciated getting to meet individuals who share the same interest in writing as her through celebrations like NDOW and the programs that Murphy Writing hosts, such as the monthly Stephen Dunn Visiting Writers Series.
“I really enjoyed last month’s speaker, his poems, what he had to say and his aspirations,” Montes said, referring to poet Iain Haley Pollock. “I also really enjoyed seeing the people who came in to listen, especially the people who just came because they're fans of the poet. I thought it was really nice to see how people come together, especially with writing, and how much there is a community out there that I truly didn't know.”
Individuals working within Murphy Writing created and ran the stations along with Stockton’s Writing program and Writing Center within the Tutoring Center.
For Writing Center Coordinator Eddie Horan, the day represented community building amongst Stockton’s students, faculty and staff. Referencing the various tensions and challenges that individuals in higher education have been facing lately, Horan said the day’s celebrations are necessary now more than ever.
“It is so nice to see people coming together as part of a writing community and doing these activities, especially Exquisite Corpse,” Horan said. “You only see the sentence that somebody wrote immediately before you and nothing else, so you have trust in what the people who come after you are going to add and in the people who came before you. It’s been a great community celebration.”
– Story and photos by Loukaia Taylor
Nearly $300K Grant to Preserve American Author’s Letters
September 19, 2025
Galloway, N.J. — Catharine Maria Sedgwick may be “the most famous and innovative American writer you’ve never heard of.”
That’s what Stockton University Professor of Literature Deborah Gussman calls the prolific writer who was considered a celebrity in the early 19th century. She published 20 books and more than 150 shorter works in multiple genres, including novels, short stories, sketches, biographies and travel.
Now, thanks to a nearly $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, Gussman, her co-editors and a group of Stockton graduate and undergraduate students will continue to add to an online archive of Sedgwick’s letters.
-- Story by Mark Melhorn, photo by Susan Allen
Hailey Bidinger Recognized as 2025 Staller Writing Tutor
August 6, 2025
Atlantic City, N.J. — Senior Hailey Bidinger was recognized with the 2025 Paul D. Staller ’97 Writing Center Tutor Award for her commitment as a Peer Writer, carrying on a tradition of supporting the Stockton University community.
The award was created by the Staller Family of Atlantic City in memory of their son, Paul, a 1997 Communication Studies graduate who found purpose in tutoring his fellow students. The annual ceremony, held July 30 at the John F. Scarpa Academic Center, has become a tradition at Stockton University.
“This award is a reminder that Paul’s spirit lives on in the students who carry his legacy forward,” said Alan Staller, Paul’s father. “I had no idea he was tutoring before he passed away, but now, the people we’ve met through this award have given us a new piece of Paul to hold on to.”
Eat, Relax and Write: Murphy Writing Celebrates 30 Years
January 25, 2024
Galloway, N.J. – As a younger man, Peter Murphy found the best way for him to push through a troublesome verse or narrative was to hole up in a hotel room in Cape May, New Jersey. His writer friends were intrigued and convinced him to bring them along in 1994. And the rest was…poetry.
In the ensuing three decades, the Murphy Writing Winter Poetry & Prose Getaway has become one of the winter’s oldest and largest writers’ conferences in North America. Beginning and experienced writers receive craft discussion, writing prompts, writing time, feedback, motivation and inspiration.
“By spending the entire weekend writing, participants will make breakthroughs in their craft, and make more progress than they thought possible,” founder Peter Murphy said.
