Fresno State Talks concluded its fifth year as a lecture series on Feb. 22 with a discussion by Dr. Timothy Skeen, who analyzed Bob Dylan’s contribution to poetry.
The talk titled “The Times They Are a-Changin’: Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan and the Beat Poets” focused on Dylan, Nobel laureate singer and songwriter, and the reshaping of poetry in American literature through beat poets.
Skeen described the impact of tone — defined as the artist’s or writer’s relationship to the subject — on the delivery of the piece as a whole.
“To me one of the great things about Dylan was the fact that he did establish his tone so quickly with people, with the audience,” Skeens said. “It’s amazing, quite astonishing.”
He said poets use language and rhythm to establish tone in the two modes of poetry, the lyric and the narrative.
“The very fact that we’re here talking about Bob Dylan as a songwriter and a poet is a testament to that. That we’ve broadened our horizons so to speak,” Skeen said. “The Swedish Academy has broadened their horizon. They’re proclaiming [that] the very definition of literature is expanding. I think that’s brilliant.”
Each year, students are encouraged to nominate their professors to be chosen to give one of three lectures hosted at the Satellite Student Union. This year, 30 nominations were submitted. The chosen professors represented the chemistry, sociology and creative writing departments.
“I think Fresno State Talks is an awesome opportunity for students to get to hear from professors in other departments,” said Hannah Poore, a senior double majoring in sociology and media, communications and journalism. “I’ve never taken a poetry class before, so this will be a new thing for me, and I think it [will] be that way for a lot of other students, as well.”
Skeen was nominated by former student Boris Pavich, a senior majoring in biology. When Pavich discovered he was required to take a writing class for his pre-med major, Skeen’s positive reviews emboldened him to sign up for the professor’s class.
“Throughout the semester, Dr. Skeen emphasized the ability to write something you enjoy and you’re proud of,” Pavich said. “His whole message throughout the semester was the power and ability of language to change perspectives and to influence ideas.”
It was Skeen’s message and teaching style that inspired Pavich to nominate him for Fresno State Talks.
“I thought it was very interesting and powerful, especially as someone who is more science-oriented,” Pavich said. “It really spoke to me.”
But the series is not just for students. Members of the community are encouraged to join the discussion, as well.
“What I’ve noticed with the talks is the variety of it,” said Zebur Karkazian, a second-grade teacher at Wilson Elementary in Fresno. “How you hear from different cultures, different departments, different issues, and I like how it encompasses all. It touches from art, to music, to medicine, to politics. I really like that.”
Karkazian is the mother of Tamar Karkazian, a Fresno State alumna who was part of the team that introduced Fresno State Talks to the university.
“This is one opportunity to connect faculty, the public and the students,” Karkazian said. “[It’s] a nice way to bring all three sources together.”