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Even after 25 years, Sept. 11, 2001, remains forever embedded in the memories of those who experienced it. For Robert McDowell, adjunct instructor in the Department of English at �Ը������� University, poetry provides space for revisiting those memories and exploring the emotions that can be difficult to capture within the pages of history books.  

“To everyone alive back then, it was like time stood still. We all knew it was a signature event,” McDowell told �Ը������� Today. “It was bigger than anything that had happened in the country before.” 

McDowell creates imagery around these ideas in his new poetry collection, “The Excellent Assembly,” which reflects on 9/11, its memory and the lasting impact of a tragedy that seemed to stop time. The collection is set to be published Sept. 11, 2026, marking the 25th anniversary of the attacks, and will be available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million and Bookshop.  

For McDowell, upholding history is important due to the impact it can have on future generations. He worries that society will one day forget its history and the events that shaped it.  

McDowell recognizes that younger generations do not have personal memories of what took place on 9/11. In classes, McDowell discusses the event with his students. His strategy for students is to begin with emotions they can recognize, such as fear and grief, to help them form connections between their experiences and the ones represented in the collection.  

“I just hoped that the book would be a bridge between us now and those people,” McDowell said. “My greatest fear, always, is that society is deeply in peril if it forgets its history.”  

Shortly after the tragic events in 2001, McDowell noticed that several poems relating to what happened were being released to the public, but he felt not enough time had passed to begin writing about the topic.  

“I thought it was too soon,” McDowell said.  

McDowell had considered previous anniversaries; however, the 25th anniversary felt to him like the right time to publish the collection.  

“It is a quarter of a century. That’s a significant time of passage,” McDowell said.

A couple of years after 9/11, McDowell did begin to write monologues and narrative poems that captured the four flights, the victims, those on the ground, the animals and the terrorists.

While writing “The Excellent Assembly,” McDowell recognized a connection between his collection and �Ը�������’s own history.  

“�Ը������� has a tradition of utilizing significant historical events and transforming them into ways of preserving awareness,” McDowell said, referencing the events surrounding May 4, 1970.

McDowell also noted the importance of listening to other individuals’ stories. For instance, McDowell cited Gloria Steinem, whom he admired for entering rooms “with her ears open” and for taking the time to hear the experiences of others around her.  

“She enhanced communities, she created communities,” McDowell said. “I’ve always felt that narrative poetry does the same thing. I love storytelling, and I always have the song inside the story,” McDowell said.  

Through the different perspectives illustrated within the collection, McDowell hopes readers can understand the emotions surrounding the tragedy, including terror, fear, disbelief, grief, desperation and hope.  

“Greater empathy. I hope readers feel more empathetic towards everyone. But I certainly hope they feel more empathetic for these fictive characters, but also the real people who experienced this,” McDowell said.  

McDowell worked diligently to make sure the tone of the collection was appropriate when portraying the perspectives of people affected by the tragedy.  

“I don't intend to speak for these people. I'm imagining, so all the people whose stories are told are fictitious. And the stories to that extent are also fictitious. And yet, I think that the spirit of everyone who experienced that day, whether you're a victim, a first responder, a family member, a terrorist, I hope we're all represented in that book,” McDowell said.  

Despite the difficult subject matter of "The Excellent Assembly," McDowell’s passion for poetry continues to motivate his art. When asked what has kept him writing throughout his career, McDowell’s answer was simple: “Love.” His curiosity and love for the artistry behind poetry continue to encourage him to write as well as discover new ideas.

Learn more about �Ը�������’s Department of English.