“Humanity 101”: Five Questions for Denise Duhamel
Denise Duhamel was born on June 13, 1961 in Rhode island, earned her B.F.A. from Emerson College, and her M.F.A. from Sarah Lawerence College. She currently resides in Florida, teaching classes on creative writing and literature at Florida International University.
Shortly after beginning her graduation, she started her career in literature with her earliest books, Smile (1993) and Girl Soldier (1996). Here marked the beginning of her unique form of commentary, using pop culture to start saterial discussions on feminism. Her most popular example is her most popular book, Kinky (1997), and her series on Barbie and the doll as a symbol.
Duhamel has achieved much recognition over the years, even appearing in Best American Poetry for her poem “Humanity 101” (2016). She also attained awards, such as a National Books Critics Circle Award (2013), a Guggenheim Fellow award (2014), and a Rattle Chapbook Prize (2024).
She uses wit and pop culture in order to make social commentary, which appeals to her readers. “Humanity 101” perfectly encapsulates this. It caught my attention with its enlightening criticism on human nature and overall suffering. It managed to portray the feeling of helplessness that comes with acknowledgement while still keeping a conversational—though satirical—tone.
The juxtaposition between the first and last line of your poem in “Humanity 101” dwelled with me. The poem beginnings with the idea of making the effort to care, yet in the last line it’s recommended you detach from the subject in order to succeed. Was this decision deliberate and why?
I was playing with the idea of empathy—how there is so much suffering in the world that it’s easier sometimes to “flunk out” and not pay attention. When we do start paying attention, the needs of our fellow citizens can be so overwhelming that we can get crushed if we think about that suffering too much. I was imagining a “good” student, who is paying attention being so consumed that she needs to take a step back … thus the need for detachment at the end.
If you had one word to describe humanity, what would you pick?
Compassion.
What reactions do you hope to evoke from your readers?
Kindness for others. Kindness for ourselves. Trying to see each other as full human beings.
Was there any specific moment that motivated you to create this poem?
Yes! I was looking at a document that read “Humanities 101,” a class at my university and I misread it as “Humanity 101.” I chuckled because the subjects studied in humanities—religion, philosophy, history, art and literature—didn’t mention humanity, the human race, but there it was.
Has there recently been a moment where you found a current event reflects a message in your poems?
Yes! Barbie—the doll—just turned 65 and I realized she’d now be eligible for Medicare.