{"id":16722,"date":"2023-09-14T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-14T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/?p=16722"},"modified":"2023-09-14T12:05:55","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T19:05:55","slug":"writing-professor-dj","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/writing-professor-dj\/","title":{"rendered":"When he\u2019s not helping students spin tales, he\u2019s spinning records"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n    \n                                \n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-hero \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-hero\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n<div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--image\">\n\n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n    \n              \n      <img\n                            data-src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/09\/muniz_profile_top-768x432.jpg\"\n          data-srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/09\/muniz_profile_top-1920x1080.jpg 1920w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/09\/muniz_profile_top-1280x720.jpg 1280w,https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/09\/muniz_profile_top-768x432.jpg 768w\"          data-sizes=\"(min-width:1200px) 75vw, (min-width:768px) 83vw, 100vw\"          class=\"lazyload\"\n        \n                  role=\"none\"\n        \n        \n                                      \/>\n\n    \n    \n  \n  \n\n<\/div>\n  \n      <div class=\"image-caption\">\n          \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  Chris Muniz says that DJing and writing an essay have more in common than one might think. (Photo: Courtesy of Chris Muniz.)\n\n\n<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n  \n  <div class=\"text-wrapper\">\n          <nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\" class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n        <ul>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\">News<\/a><\/li>\n                      <li><a href=\"\/news\/stories\/\/?category=faculty\">Faculty<\/a><\/li>\n                  <\/ul>\n      <\/nav>\n    \n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--page-title\">\n\n    \n  <h1>When he\u2019s not helping students spin tales, he\u2019s spinning records<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n          <div class=\"subtitle\">\n            \n<div class=\"f--field f--description\">\n\n    \n  By day, Christopher Muniz teaches students the craft of writing at USC Dornsife. By night, he\u2019s dropping beats at sold-out music festivals.\n\n\n<\/div>\n      <\/div>\n    \n           <strong class=\"author-field\"><span >By<\/span><a href=\"mailto:communication@dornsife.usc.edu\">Margaret Crable<\/a><\/strong>\n    \n          <span class=\"post-date-field\">September 14, 2023<\/span>\n      <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--social-share \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--social-share\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"content-wrapper\">\n    <span class=\"a2a_kit a2a_kit_size_32 addtoany_list\" style=\"line-height: 32px;\">\n      <span class=\"title\">\n        Share\n      <\/span>\n                        <a class=\"a2a_button_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/#copy_link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"Link\">\n            <span class=\"a2a_svg a2a_s__default a2a_s_copy_link\">\n              <svg height=\"19\" viewBox=\"0 0 19 19\" 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cc--rich-text \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--rich-text\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n      \n<div class=\"f--field f--wysiwyg\">\n\n    \n  <p>During the day, you\u2019ll find <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/christopher-muniz\/\">Christopher Muniz<\/a> training students in the art of essay writing. On nights and weekends, however, things take a less studious turn. You\u2019ll find the <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/the-writing-program\/\">writing<\/a> professor performing as a DJ at festivals like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=WDBNMXb3pWo&amp;ab_channel=DJNIGHTSTALKER\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">EDC Mexico<\/a> or Nocturnal Wonderland, where his bass-heavy sets keep the crowds moving late into the night.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16724\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16724\" style=\"width: 320px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-16724 size-1x1_320\" src=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/09\/muniz_profile_instorya-320x320.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"320\" height=\"320\" srcset=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/09\/muniz_profile_instorya-320x320.jpg 320w, https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/7\/2023\/09\/muniz_profile_instorya-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 320px) 100vw, 320px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16724\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Muniz has been with USC Dornsife since 2017. (Photo: Mike Glier.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It\u2019s a little bit of a double existence. \u201cSome people don\u2019t know I\u2019m a professor, and then some people know I\u2019m a professor but don\u2019t know I\u2019m a DJ,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>For Muniz though, the craft of writing \u2014 he teaches the subject at the USC Dornsife College of Letters Arts and Sciences \u2014 and a DJ skillset have a lot in common.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPreparing for a set is almost the same as preparing for writing an essay. You\u2019re auditioning ideas, you\u2019re figuring out what goes in what order, you\u2019re thinking about your audience or your reader,\u201d he says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of overlap that appeals to me. I think it helps make me a better writer, a better teacher and, of course, a better DJ, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Book worm; music lover <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Muniz grew up in Colorado with an early love of music. He and his father used to lie on the floor together and listen to records like Pink Floyd\u2019s \u201cThe Dark Side of the Moon\u201d all the way through. Starting in kindergarten, allowances or money earned from getting good grades would go towards Muniz\u2019s growing collection of tapes and records.<\/p>\n<p>The only thing that could compete was his love of books. Muniz was a voracious reader, making his way through Stephen King novels, nonfiction books on World War II, how-to manuals on woodworking and anything else that piqued his interest.<\/p>\n<p>Muniz credits his mother with inspiring him to pursue a college degree. His maternal grandfather dropped out of school in the 6th grade to become a coal miner to support his family. Muniz\u2019s mother was the only one of eight children to pursue higher education, eventually earning her master\u2019s degree in education and working as an elementary school teacher for 30 years.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>There\u2019s just something magical about the written word.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThe concept of me continuing all the way on to a PhD would have probably been inconceivable without my mom striking out on her own and leaving the small town she grew up in to go to college,\u201d says Muniz. He toured a number of college campuses, but USC\u2019s sunny location in the energetic heart of Los Angeles won him over.<\/p>\n<p>He enrolled thinking he\u2019d want to attend film school but, although he minored in the subject, he ultimately retained his focus on literature.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s just something magical about the written word. I feel like there\u2019s a kind of alchemical process that occurs between the writer and the reader, and that feels part of this ancient tradition, which appeals to me,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Growing up in Colorado he\u2019d gone to many concerts and dance nights, an activity he continued after moving to California. He started spinning records at small clubs, landing his first gig at a run-down bar in Culver City. This eventually grew into his second career, one that\u2019s taken him all over Southern California as well as to festivals in Hawaii, Las Vegas and Mexico.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s not just balancing late-nights with work as a professor \u2014 Muniz is also a husband and father.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ll show up in class and students will ask, \u2018How was your weekend?\u2019 I\u2019m like, \u2018What did I do this weekend?\u2019 It\u2019s all a blur,\u201d he laughs.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2Bae7QrzHfU?si=P3UCTL3CoxCc1Qm0\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><strong>Getting personal<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>After graduation, he continued his studies with an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts before completing his <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/cwphd\/\">PhD in literature and creative writing<\/a> at USC Dornsife in 2018. He joined the faculty in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>Muniz works with a broad range of students, from those passionate about writing to those whose interests lie elsewhere and enrolled in his classes only because of general education requirements. No matter to Muniz; he\u2019s intent on helping all of his students uncover the value of writing well.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI try to let them discover it on their own. I want them to write about things they\u2019re interested in, no matter what their field is and no matter what the theme of the class is,\u201d he says. \u201cUsually if it somehow becomes much more personal to unpack, then before they know it, they\u2019re like, \u2018Oh, wait, you know, I <em>am<\/em> writing.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Outside his classwork and DJ gigs, Muniz is currently at work on a dystopian novel set in New Mexico. He says he doesn\u2019t usually listen to music while he\u2019s writing on his own, but in his classes, he\u2019ll put on the YouTube channel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/c\/LofiGirl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lo-Fi Girl<\/a> to set the mood for his students during writing exercises.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s like low-slung hip-hop music, no lyrics, what might be considered \u2018chill\u2019 music that appeals to everyone on some level because it has just enough texture and flavor to put you into a nice creative space,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p><em>Muniz teaches \u201cIdentity and Diversity in American Contexts\u201d (WRIT 150) this fall. <\/em><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Featured USC Dornsife faculty:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/profile\/christopher-muniz\/\">Christopher Muniz<\/a>, Assistant Professor (Teaching) of Writing<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n  \n        \n  \n    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n<div\n  class=\"cc--component-container cc--article-related-stories \"\n\n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  >\n  <div class=\"c--component c--article-related-stories\"\n    \n      >\n\n    \n  <div class=\"inner-wrapper\">\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--section-title\">\n\n    \n  <h2>\n          Related Articles\n      <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n    \n                  <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/dexter-holland-the-offspring-usc-dornsife-commencement-speaker-2026\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Dexter Holland, frontman for rock band The Offspring, to deliver USC Dornsife commencement address<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/bad-bunny-says-reggaeton-is-puerto-rican-but-it-was-born-in-panama\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Bad Bunny says reggaeton is Puerto Rican, but it was born in\u00a0Panama<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n              <article>\n              \n<div class=\"f--field f--cta-title\">\n\n    \n  <h3>\n          <a href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/actor-luka-jones-earned-philosophy-phd-in-2013\/\" \n                        class=\"\" \n      >Actor earns philosophy PhD on his way to major movie and television roles<\/a>\n      <\/h3>\n\n\n<\/div>\n        <\/article>\n            <\/div>\n\n\n  <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By day, Christopher Muniz teaches students the craft of writing at USC Dornsife. By night, he\u2019s dropping beats at sold-out music festivals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":16723,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[57,1918,136],"class_list":["post-16722","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty","tag-entertainment","tag-writ","tag-writing-program"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>When he\u2019s not helping students spin tales, he\u2019s spinning records<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Christopher Muniz teaches students the craft of writing all week. Nights and weekends, he\u2019s dropping beats at sold-out music festivals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/news\/stories\/writing-professor-dj\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"USC Dornsife writing professor is successful DJ\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Christopher Muniz teaches students the craft of writing all week. 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