John Hahn

10/15/2011

Between 1992 and 1996 I took Creative Writing and literature classes from John Hahn at Rio Hondo College in Whittier. My father, who had taken John's classes in the 80s, highly recommended I take the same classes.
John was one of the most effective professor I've ever had. Many things he taught me still remain with me---I quote something he said in our classes at least every day.
I recently discovered that John died in October, 2006 of a heart attack, brought on by lung cancer. I have wanted to communicate with more people who had his class. I've put together this blog which, hopefully, will provide his former students with an opportunity to quote him, provide an anecdote, or offer negative criticism (which is equally important). In many ways, his classes were more like philosophical lectures which, inadvertently, taught me more about creativity than I've ever encountered.
I'll start with a couple of things which come screaming to mind:

"When a woman puts on lipstick, she's telling the world she's ready to fuck."

If a book in a library or bookstore falls from a shelf in front of you, read it.

Pray that you die from a long, painful death.

20 Comments

Adrienne Cardiel

5/29/2013 09:10:58 am

Thank you for creating this page. I laughed at your blog and remember every one of those words written about John. God how he could change your life with one sentence! We were beyond lucky to have him and I am beyond grateful to have known and sat for hours with him for so many days and even years after being his student. Thank you Margie Pignataro. My in-articulation is in no way a wish to diminish his influence to this day - I am just speechless that you are so talented to bring him back to life in such a virtual spirited note~

5/29/2013 09:12:43 am

BTW... my father had taken his classes too and referred him, as well! Hmmm....

Frank Loaiza

2/22/2014 01:10:42 pm

I took his English class in 1987 or was it '88? He would always say things that were a bit controversial and I think it was an intentional way to get is to write our thoughts. He would walk into class with his large coffeeug and write or say something to get is going. One time, he walked up te board and wrote, "Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker."

Michael Montano

10/25/2014 12:47:32 pm

I was saddened to read of his death today, eight years later, and instantly laughed at what you all have written of him - a testament to the many he touched. He was a great inspiration in the teacher I have become today, if he were alive to hear that he'd probably say, "gee fuck."

I took John's creative writing class and world literature class back around '94 and then unofficially audited his Thursday night world lit calss for another three years, and learned a helluva lot more than when I took the class for credit.

"You can't judge a book until you've read the first 100 pages."

"Get over yourself, you're not that important"

"in a hundred years, nobody is going to give a shit."

...i will have to go dig out the notes i took from his class and see what memories surface.

Mike Boyd

5/20/2015 12:57:05 pm

John was a major influence. I took his classes and audited them from 1988 to 1991. Shot many a pool game with him as well. He taught me what to read.

Kathryn de Leon

3/21/2018 12:07:12 pm

I am a former student of John Hahn's; I didn't know he'd passed away, so sad to know he's gone. I just wanted to send a quick note now but when I have more time I would like to share some of my memories of John. I took his classes at Rio Hondo between 1977-1979 and he has been the greatest influence in my life, second only to my parents. Thank you for this page and I'll send more soon.

Margie

3/27/2018 09:48:24 am

Thank you so much for replying! I'd love to hear anything you remember about John.

4/8/2018 10:07:20 am

Thank you Margie, for responding to my message about John. Also thank you for this page.

Since I discovered this page, I've been making notes of things I remember about John, there are so many things.
I'll share a few now, and more later.

I attended John's classes from 1977-1979. I was so young and innocent and naïve, I was just entranced by John. He came into class everyday with a mug which was in the shape of a face. His sneakers always had no shoelaces. He sat on a table at the front of the class and invited the students to sit on the floor instead of at desks. I was too timid so I stayed at my desk.

I had been writing poetry since I was a child, so I was eager to learn about creative writing from John. I remember that he always stressed using descriptive language in our writing as opposed to being abstract. "Allow yourself only one abstraction per poem," he said.

I've continued writing poetry and 40 years later I still remember to keep abstractions in my poems to a minimum. It's my habit to always rely on my senses when writing; I use a lot of imagery
and this is due to John's influence.

And at the end of class, he would tell us "go play."

More John Hahn memories to come.

4/10/2018 02:11:44 pm

That is great, priceless advice: one abstraction per poem. If you ever want to share poetry, please do!

Curtis Shearer

4/11/2018 05:00:13 pm

I took a couple of classes with John in 1977-78. I was just a ignorant druggie getting a free ride on the GI Bill. I still remember the day I walked out of John's class determined to be honest from that day forward. John had expressed to us that day that honesty is the highest virtue. It revolutionized my life. I went straight to my girl friend's house and confessed to her that I had been cheating on her. I was liberated in spirit as the guilt was lifted off of my shoulders for being a phony liar. I used to look at John and wonder how he could be a vegetarian. I told myself I would never do that. Now I have been a vegetarian for 35 years. John claimed to have gone for a whole year without any kind of sex. I thought, "This guy is totally insane".
I had been to the house where John lived with about 11 other people. It was up in the hills somewhere. They were throwing a big party for some reason. He was making fun of the meat-eaters.
John wrote a paper that he passed out to the class. It was entitled "It's Perfect". I carried in my wallet for a long time until it fell apart.
I got a girl pregnant that was also taking a class from John. Being the immature jerk that I was, I fled from the responsibility of the life I had helped to create. The lady asked John if he would endeavor to intervene in the situation. I received a very nice letter from John with some kindly advice.
When I first heard about the Illuminati and their plan to subjugate the would, I immediately drove to John's house with the news. "They are taking over the world," I said in exasperation. "What should we do"
"Let them have it," was his calm reply.
I wrote about these things in my book THE SEVEN THUNDERS.
Now that I am teaching English and Bible at a secondary school here in Borneo, I tell the students about my creative writing teacher and what an impact he had on my life.
Do you know what become of John's girlfriend/wife? They had a daughter also as I recall. Where can I get a photo of John?

4/12/2018 02:05:21 am

Curtis, thank you for sharing these memories of John. I was amazed when I read your comment for a number of reasons. First of all, you said you attended John's classes in 1977-1978.; I attended 1977-1979. We most likely were in the same class! I also went to at least one gathering, maybe more, at his house around that time, we were probably there at the same time!

I remember John always said "you should be smart enough" to find a way to support yourself working only about 20 hours per week. Your whole life shouldn't be work.

Coincidently, I became a vegetarian in March 1983, 35 years ago, just like you! Wow.

I remember John saying that he had not eaten meat for X-number of years, then he ate a hamburger and "it tasted metallic." At that time I never imagined myself becoming a vegetarian.

You mentioned John's girlfriend/wife and daughter. In 1977 or 78, his 2 daughters from a previous marriage, visited the class. I remember them as if it were yesterday. His older daughter is Athena who was then 14 years old, his younger daughter is Shelley who was 9 years old, all of this assuming my memory is accurate. He had a baby with his then girlfriend, her name is Phoenix. Such literary names. I have memories of his daughters which I'll share in the near future on this page.

His "let them have it" comment regarding the Illuminati sounds like classic John Hahn.

11/6/2022 01:58:44 pm

Hello to whomever might be reading this!!

I've been wanting to post a comment on this website for several years and just never got around to it. I'm glad the website is still here.
Last year I took a poetry workshop and I wrote a poem about John for one of the assignments. I'm attempting to cut and paste it here, so hopefully I'll do it right. I'd love to hear from anyone with any more comments about John.

Kathryn de Leon

WHY JOHN HAHN WAS MY FAVORITE ENGLISH PROFESSOR

It wasn't because he talked about everything
except English.
It wasn't because he was thirty-four,
and I thought him a wise old man.

It wasn't because of his long brown hair and beard
or how he sat on a table while lecturing,
or how he encouraged us to sit on the floor
in front of him.

It wasn't because of his laceless sneakers,
or that one shoe dangled from his toes
when he crossed his legs.

It wasn't the coffee mug in the shape of a face
that was always in his hand
nor was it that a student
once put a piece of cake into the mug
but he didn't eat it.

It was because forty-five years
and even his death
didn't change him.

It was because while my hair greyed,
he stayed the same,
brown haired, thirty-four,
seated on his throne-like tabletop
while he shared advice, warnings,
about adulthood, life,
with us students.
It was because he was right.

Richard

11/4/2023 02:50:53 am

Kathryn, the last line of your poem caused me to remember a verbal entanglement that John and another lady student were involved in one night. The lady fiercely defended her position and then said something to the effect of, "just because you said it doesn't mean you're right."

To which John replied, "Not right, just right-er."

11/4/2023 09:04:54 am

Thanks for your comment, Richard! This sounds like another classic John Hahn response.
What year(s) did you attend John's class(es)?

11/4/2023 04:47:42 pm

Kathryn, I attended Rio for a long while 1992-2002 off and on and probably took every class John offered (the night classes being the most special). I still remember walking out of those night classes enveloped in a cloud of the highest order questions.

I remember returning to finish some credits in the later years and finding that John was no longer there. I almost felt like it was another one of his "tests" to see if I had really learned anything.

Like you and others I'm sure, I often think of him.

And in case you're wondering: I've yet to encounter another like him.

11/13/2022 02:45:59 am

In my poem posted above, I made a boo-boo, at the time I took his classes, he was 37 years old, not 34!

11/13/2022 12:21:17 pm

I love your poem so much! And your thoroughness with correcting his age is adorable. It reminds me of something he said, but nothing specifically. It was something about how everyone fucks up, that no one should be trusted entirely for information because we're only human and very fallible.

And you're so kind to remember this blog, too! I've had little mind space to maintain it over the years. Thank you for remembering it!

11/13/2022 01:25:55 pm

Thanks for your reply, Margie! I don't think I'll ever forget this blog, as I'll never forget John Hahn. September of this year made it exactly 45 years since I first took John's class. Hard to believe! Somewhere I have some writing saved from his classes and I think maybe some comments he wrote on them. I'll certainly share anything I can find!

11/5/2023 01:22:31 am

By mistake I somehow managed to unsubscribe myself from this John Hahn blog, I'm hoping that by sending this message I'll be subscribed again.

Kathryn

11/5/2023 01:09:17 am

Fortunately I got myself subscribed again to this blog after mistakenly unsubscribing myself. I want to reply to a comment made by Richard yesterday but there's so "reply" button next to his comment.
I never took any of John's night classes, only daytime; sounds like I missed out on some good stuff.
And like you, Richard, I've never met anyone like John. And in my mind, like I said in my poem, he's always 37 years old, so young, I'm now 30 years older than he was then! Frightening!

John Hahn

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