A conversation with Dr. Djos
What did you do before coming to Mesa State?
I spent 14 years teaching eleventh and twelfth grade
English composition, literature, media and remedial studies
in a suburban school district just north of Seattle.
Anyone who has taken your classes knows that you enjoy
sailing. How do you tie this love for sailing into your
classes?
It is a philosophical point of view. The sea and the
wind are marvelous teachers. They have an intimate relationship
to the most fundamental truths, even as they embrace the
most profound mysteries of the cosmos. Perhaps that is the
essence of life and the very essence of our human journey
— to understand the connectedness and wonder and beauty
of all things.
Is there one area of English / literature that you particularly
enjoy?
There are so many. I do have a special love for the works
of Hemingway and London. Both were adventurers and searchers
of experience; both were fearless and imaginative. Of course,
it would be impossible to overlook Joseph Conrad. His control
of language is amazing, and he has a moral perspective that
is unparalleled. Melville is a giant, perhaps a summary
of all that is mysterious and beyond understanding and yet
cosmic and magnificent.
If you could give all college students one piece of advice
for success in school or life, what would it be?
Let yourself fall in love — so deeply and so wonderfully
that it hurts and sings all at the same time; and then set
your own terms, respect life, and celebrate the wonder of
being on this earth and the gift of each day with every
fiber of your being.
If you could do anything else, other than teaching,
what would it be?
My wife, Jeanine, and I would set sail over the horizon
and visit strange new lands and mysterious places and explore
the distant wonders and peoples of the earth and return
with a thousand marvelous tales and unbelievable things
and do it again and again and again.
Fast Facts
* Dr. Djos is a nationally recognized scholar and research
specialist on the literature of addiction.
* Dr. Djos is a freelance writer and has written articles
published for numerous national and regional sailing magazines.
These articles range from technical features on sailing
and seamanship to destination narratives describing his
experiences under sail.
* Dr. Djos has been sailing for 50 years. He and his wife
Jeanine have sailed in places such as Mexico, Southern California,
the Pacific Northwest, Southwestern Canada and the Rocky
Mountains.
Written by Jamie DeForest, Mass Communications student
