Supporters of the Creative Writing Program gathered in the Jay S. and Jeanne Benet Alumni Lounge last week to celebrate the debut poetry book by Jen DeGregorio Ph.D. ‘21, “What to Wear Out.” Published in April 2025, the book touches on a range of themes, from the pandemic to the patriarchy.

DeGregorio is a lecturer and associate director of creative writing at Binghamton University. She received a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from the University of Maryland, a Master of Fine Arts from CUNY Hunter College and a Ph.D. in English from BU.

“Jen’s first book, What to Wear Out, is a story in poems about a young woman who carries the weight of many women,” Tina Chang, director of the Creative Writing Program, wrote in an email. “Her female speaker copes with abuse, societal demands, and the weight of being a moral and cognizant human in a complex world. Her speaker is a daughter, partner, friend and we follow this main character as she moves from adolescence into adulthood, recounting the violence with which women encounter, and singing the praise song of her own survival.”

The book launch began with an introduction from Leslie Heywood, professor of English at BU and DeGregorio’s dissertation adviser as she acquired her Ph.D. Many poems included in the book were written during DeGregorio’s time at the University.

“It’s the perfect note for our very, very post-extracted consumer culture trying to hold on to its deadly grasp on our lives,” Heywood said. “The book really fits all the notes on that, and I was happy to see that some of the poems in the book I first saw in my own graduate poetry workshop.”

DeGregorio went on to read a selection of poems from her book, including “Mask,” “Landlines,” “All Us Jens” and “Tourist Traps.”

“Mask,” which consists of 12 individual parts, reflected the impact of the pandemic and the concept of endings. DeGregorio began by reading the book’s epigraph, a quote from Arundhati Roy, an award-winning Indian author who wrote an essay about the pandemic published in the Financial Times.

“’Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew,’” DeGregorio read. “’This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.’”

“Mask” echoed this sentiment, describing the complete transformation of normal life and the heartbreak of having to retreat indoors.

“Landlines,” the second poem, commented on the old giving way for the new. In the poem, the narrator calls her childhood home, receiving no response. The work allowed the audience to envision the phone ringing in an empty space with no one to pick it up, conveying a sense of nostalgia and loneliness.

“All Us Jens” described the experience of growing up as a woman under the patriarchy. DeGregorio opened by sharing that the name “Jennifer” was the most popular name for baby girls in the United States from 1970 to 1984, and she uses the name in the poem to represent American women.

The final poem, “Tourist Traps,” tells a love story culminating in a couple’s trip to Salem. It referenced the 2023 tragedy of the Titan submersible disaster, where a submersible operated by the company OceanGate imploded and killed all five passengers.

The poem then segued into the story of where the narrator was when she heard the news, on vacation with her partner in Salem. She contrasted tales of billionaire indulgence with her own life and inner thoughts. The poem easily complemented the rest of the work, as each piece told a tumultuous tale of the narrator’s life while connecting to contemporary global problems.

The event continued with a Q&A moderated by Chang. During this portion, DeGregorio and Chang discussed the writing process, the book’s cultural implications — like how it references recent events, such as the pandemic and various cultural moments — and how the work connected each poem to moments in the poet’s life.

The audience listened attentively as DeGregorio recounted the long history of publishing her work. She shared her journey of creating her collection of poems and the struggles along the way, like finding a publisher. After pulling the draft from her original publisher, she kept working on her piece and resubmitted it.

“Jen is a Binghamton alum success story because her narrative is so relatable and real,” Chang wrote. “After she graduated with her doctorate degree, she struggled to find her place, struggled to find a job, struggled to find the right home for her creative work. None of it was easy but she persisted in writing poems, never backing down from hardship or challenge.”

DeGregorio ended the Q&A by explaining the competitive nature of writing, which can be discouraging for new writers. Even after feeling rejected, she spoke about showing resilience through tough events and eventually finding success through perseverance and hard work.

“As someone who’s gotten a lot of rejection letters in the last eight months, it’s really encouraging whenever you hear someone with a success story, especially one that took that long,” Elaine Braunshweiger, audience member and a sophomore double-majoring in English and comparative literature, said. “And as someone who wants to chase down a Ph.D., it’s really encouraging to hear that trajectory and how it played out for her in this beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful event.”

DeGregorio acts as a mentor and teacher to many students at BU. She offered advice to students looking to write and publish their own work.

“Read more than you write,” DeGregorio wrote. “Listen more than you talk. Write as often as you can. Enjoy the process. Find other writers to be in community with. If you want to publish your writing, don’t let rejection get you down (for long, anyway). Keep the faith.”