Writer, Professor and Pen Pal: Josefine Kals Remembers Stephen Dixon

The author, Josefine Kals, first met Stephen Dixon during her sophomore year at the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars undergraduate program in Baltimore. Dixon taught a small, intimate fiction writing class in the basement of Gilman Hall at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Kals recalls Dixon’s ink-stained pants pockets and his calm, soothing teaching style, which emphasized finding beauty in everyday life. Later that year, Kals waited in line at a Barnes & Noble in a newly built dorm near JHU’s main entrance to get a signed copy of Dixon’s book End of I, published by McSweeney’s. She introduced herself to Dixon to personalize her book, though she did not stand out as a memorable student to him. Dixon retired from JHU after nearly 30 years of teaching.

After graduating, Kals struggled to figure out what to do with her degree in writing, which her pre-med friends jokingly called “pre-unemployment.” She sought advice from her poetry professor, Mary Jo Salter, who suggested she find a job at a publishing house. Kals admitted she did not know what a publishing house was. Despite her uncertainty, she eventually secured a job as a publicity assistant at the Knopf Doubleday group within Penguin Random House (now Penguin Random House). This marked the beginning of her career in publishing.

Years after graduating, Kals and Dixon became pen pals through email. The relationship began when Kals asked another JHU professor for Dixon’s email address to express her appreciation for his work and teaching. Their correspondence lasted for years, with Dixon sharing details about his life and writing. Dixon’s emails mirrored his fiction style—intimate and filled with everyday details. He described himself as “a fussbudget worrywart” and shared personal updates, such as admiring his grandson’s sonogram photo, which he compared to a marble bust by Michelangelo. He often signed off with notes like, “The plumber just arrived so I’ve got to go.”

Stephen Dixon’s prose is characterized by its ordinary and intimate style, often compared to reading someone’s shopping list. This approach highlights the beauty in life’s small, everyday moments. Dixon’s stream-of-consciousness writing focuses on seemingly minor details, such as the pleasure of dining at a favorite restaurant or the challenges of caring for a loved one. One of Kals’s favorite stories by Dixon is Flying, which portrays a father and daughter literally flying through the air without a plan to land, yet the father avoids worrying the daughter by hiding his lack of control. Dixon’s work captures universally human experiences.

In the fall of 2019, Kals had not heard from Dixon for some time when she received an email from his daughters. They informed her that Dixon was in hospice care and offered her the opportunity to send him a message if she wished. This was a deeply personal and meaningful moment for Kals, who expressed her gratitude for the opportunity to connect with Dixon one last time.