The only reason I can speak of Maasai Jones at this moment is because my speech may be of help to the beautiful family that produced such a wonderful young man. Indeed, I am not ready to speak. I loiter outside of language in the sadness that mutes me when life is lost.

Maasai. What is this. How can this be. You were supposed to be my teaching assistant next semester. And I taught you in two of my classes where you mastered the material and went beyond to speak like a newly minted professor. And now I have to scrape together words about your loss.

Dear family of Maasai Jones, this moment is a loss so great, and it is yours so intimately and singularly. I wish not to interrupt or disrupt a moment so powerful and important. But if there is a small comment from me that, together with others, might provide a balm for your profound grief, then I must say that I am so grateful for Maasai. The mark his presence produced remains as wide as the sky and as beautiful as the ocean.

In love and sympathy,

Maasai – you will be so terribly missed in Honors College! Over the past two years, I got to know you through your remarkable Open Mic Night acts, which you termed “Poetry and Rhythm.” What you did creatively with your artistic partner in VanderPoel on those evenings widened our space. Your art was so cool yet warm, elegant and utterly original – the poetic language, the feel, the beat and, best of all, your limber dance moves. After your first performance, so many students came to me, wanting to join your mailing list and attend every up-coming appearance of the amazing Maasai Jones.

I almost never write to students after these events, but I did send you an email that night – to thank you and to let you know that you had an entirely new fan base in Honors College, and that Dean Kozol was at the top of the list!

After that, you’d always stop to chat with me on the walkways around campus, to share the latest regarding your creative writing, your classes (particularly those you were taking with Jenn Henton) and your thoughts on what was going on at Hofstra and beyond. Seeing your broad, inviting smile and expressive eyes, as you headed in my direction, lit up the entire campus for me during my Maasai moments.

Let me say “Thank You” again to you – for adding so much to our community with your magical spirit and art. In VanderPoel and all over campus, that spirit is still with us!

With Admiration and Affection,

I had Maasai in two classes at Hofstra, both parts of the first-year sequence in Honors College. He was absolutely wonderful–a sharp reader, excellent writer, and thoughtful participant in discussion. Getting to know him was an absolute gift, and though he was no longer in my classes in his second year, I followed his progress and thought happily that my colleagues were getting to know him as well. I have rarely felt so attached to a student; he was special and really important to me.

Even in his second year, when Maasai was no longer officially a student in my classes, I watched him from afar, occasionally looking to see what courses he was taking and nodding happily to see him pursuing challenging coursework with my colleagues. In the Fall, I encouraged him to submit a poem to our contest for creative work by Claudia Rankine, the celebrated author of the book Citizen: An American Lyric. He did so, writing one of the four winning entries and earning an honored place at the dinner table next to Ms. Rankine when she visited Hofstra to deliver a reading as part of the Great Writers, Great Readings series. I presented her with a booklet with all the winning poems. As I am struggling to accept the hard fact that he won’t be returning to campus this Fall, I find myself thinking of these other, more gentle and comforting facts: He had dinner with the great Claudia Rankine. He has her signature in his copy of her book. And she has his in that poem.

There is so much to be said about somebody so smart, so wryly funny, and so good. For now, I will simply extend my deepest sympathy to them along with his friends and other faculty. I know we all miss him terribly.

Maasai was a student in my Book Promotion class this Spring semester. He added so much to the class by always asking insightful, intelligent questions and engaging in discussions. I am so sorry for your loss. Maasai will be greatly missed by the Hofstra community.

Hugs,

Maasai was in my Popular Song Lyrics class in the spring of 2017. He was a serious, engaged, and thoughtful young man, who particularly came alive whenever the lyrics of Chance the Rapper or Slick Rick were the topic of discussion. His writing showcased a keen mind and a big heart wrestling with life’s most important challenges. I am truly sorry to learn of his passing. Please accept my deepest condolences.

Maasai was a student in my class on the literature and film of the zombies this past fall. I remember well how his readings of some of our texts were intellectually astute and provocative, especially his analyses of I Walked with a Zombie and Colson Whitehead’s Zone One. And how could I forget his final project…a very original video project! Although I only had him in one class, I will miss him. I am deeply saddened for your loss.

I am deeply saddened by the loss of Maasai Jones. He was such a bright light! Most memorable, for me, were his lucid and moving contributions to a discussion about an essay by James Baldwin. He taught me a great deal; for that, I am grateful. My heart is heavy, and my thoughts are with his family and friends.

Maasai was a student of mine in his second semester at Hofstra University. I can’t express how sad I am. He was an extraordinary young man: deeply, interestingly, powerfully thoughtful, undistracted by easy answers, kind and creative in criticism. I learned a great deal from him. He taught me things about teaching I had not known were there to learn. I miss him terribly.

I had the privilege of having Maasai in my Introductory Creative Writing class at Hofstra University. He was a unique and very talented young man. He was a sharp, responsible, and intelligent student with a great sense of humor and wonderful poetic talent. We frequently discussed current trends in Hip Hop music, and one time Maasai even performed a brief ‘freestyle’ in my class to the delight of his fellow students. Maasai had an uncanny talent to break down complex poems and literary texts and discuss them with a keen critical eye and sense of maturity way beyond his years. I ran into him in a cafe on campus on the last day of the semester this past May. I gave him a big hug, and we spoke about collaborating in the near future and meeting up in the fall to discuss the self-publication of some of his poems. I am saddened and shocked by his passing. Words simply can’t describe my anger and disbelief. I will miss him greatly. Que descanses en paz, querido amigo!