X. J. Kennedy (born Joseph Charles Kennedy on August 21, 1929, in

Dover, New Jersey Dover is a town in Morris County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about west of New York City and about west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the town's population was 18,4 ...

) is an American

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...

translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...

anthologist In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

, and author of

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

and textbooks on English literature and poetry. He was long known as Joe Kennedy; but, wishing to distinguish himself from

Joseph P. Kennedy Joseph Patrick Kennedy Sr. (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, philanthropist, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the ambitious patri ...

, he added an "X" as his first initial.

Early life and academic career

In his youth, under the name Joe Kennedy, he was an active member of

science fiction fandom Science fiction fandom or SF fandom is a community or fandom of people interested in science fiction in contact with one another based upon that interest. SF fandom has a life of its own, but not much in the way of formal organization (although ...

and published well-regarded

fanzines A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleas ...

, including ''Vampire'' (a quarterly, 1945–1947) and the ''Vampire Annuals''. He was a member of several amateur press associations, and co-founded the still-extant Spectator Amateur Press Association (SAPS). Between 1947 and 1953 he wrote

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

stories for

pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed, due to their cheap nature. ...

using the names Joe Kennedy or Joquel Kennedy. Kennedy attended

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizab ...

(BSc, 1950) and

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

(MA, 1951). After serving for four years as an enlisted journalist with the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, he studied at the Sorbonne from 1955 to 1956. Kennedy then spent the next six years pursuing a graduate degree in English at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

but did not complete his Ph.D. There he met his future wife Dorothy Mintzlaff, who was a fellow graduate student. Kennedy taught English at Michigan, the

University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...

, and

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

(1963–1978), with visiting professorships at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a Private university, private Women's colleges in the United States, historically women's Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henr ...

; the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Irvine, California, United States. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, U ...

; and the

University of Leeds The University of Leeds is a public research university in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was established in 1874 as the Yorkshire College of Science. In 1884, it merged with the Leeds School of Medicine (established 1831) and was renamed Y ...

Writing career

In the early 1970s, Kennedy and his wife Dorothy co-edited the influential journal '' Counter/Measures'', a precursor in the New Formalist movement to ''The Reaper'' and ''The Formalist''. He also served as poetry editor of ''

The Paris Review ''The Paris Review'' is a quarterly English-language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953 by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, ''The Paris Review'' published new works by Jack Kerouac, ...

''. Kennedy's poetry has been published in ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'', ''

Poetry Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...

'', and ''

The Hudson Review ''The Hudson Review'' is a quarterly journal of literature and the arts. History It was founded in 1947 in New York, by William Arrowsmith, Joseph Deericks Bennett, and George Frederick Morgan. The first issue was introduced in the spring of ...

''. He became a freelance writer in 1978. Kennedy is most recognized for his light verse, and was the first recipient of the

American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excellence" in American literature, Music of the United States, music, and Visual art of the United States, art. Its fixed number ...

' Michael Braude Award for Light Verse. His first book, ''Nude Descending a Staircase'', won the 1961

Lamont Poetry Prize The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outreac ...

of the

Academy of American Poets The Academy of American Poets is a national, member-supported organization that promotes poets and the art of poetry. The nonprofit organization was incorporated in the state of New York in 1934. It fosters the readership of poetry through outrea ...

, and his dozens of books have won awards, including Guggenheim and National Arts Council fellowships, a grant from the

National Endowment for the Arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the feder ...

, the Bess Hokin Prize from ''

'' magazine, and a ''Los Angeles Times'' Book Award for poetry (in 1985 for ''Cross Ties: Selected Poems''), the 1969–1970

Shelley Memorial Award The Shelley Memorial Award of the Poetry Society of America, was established by the will of Mary P. Sears, and named after the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. The prize is given to a living American poet selected with reference to genius and need, and is ...

, the Golden Rose of the New England Poetry Club, honorary degrees from Lawrence and Adelphi Universities and Westfield State College. Kennedy received the National Council of Teachers of English Year 2000 Award for Excellence in Children's Poetry. He received the 2004

Poets' Prize The Poets' Prize is awarded annually for the best book of verse published by a living American poet two years prior to the award year. The $3000 annual prize is donated by a committee of about 20 American poets, who each nominate two books and who ...

for his work, ''The Lords of Misrule: Poems 1992–2002''. Kennedy accepted the

Poetry Society of America Poetry (from the Greek word '' poiesis'', "making") is a form of literary art that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meanings in addition to, or in place of, literal or surface-level meanings. Any partic ...

's Robert Frost Medal for lifetime service to poetry in 2009. In 2015, he received the

Jackson Poetry Prize Poets & Writers, Inc. is one of the largest nonprofit literary organizations in the United States serving poets, fiction writers, and creative nonfiction writers. The organization publishes a bi-monthly magazine called ''Poets & Writers Magazine'' ...

, awarded by Poets & Writers. Kennedy also wrote a series of children's poetry books (''Brats''), translated

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; ; ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek Ancient Greek comedy, comic playwright from Classical Athens, Athens. He wrote in total forty plays, of which eleven survive virtually complete today. The majority of his surviving play ...

' ''

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', ) is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city ...

'' into English, and edited the anthology ''Tygers of Wrath: Poems of Hate, Anger, and Invective'' (University of Georgia Press, 1981). Kennedy edited several editions of the textbook anthology ''Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama''. With his wife Dorothy and scholar Jane E. Aaron, he is the editor of ''

The Bedford Reader ''The Bedford Reader'' is a college composition textbook published by the Bedford/St. Martin's publishing company. It is edited by X. J. Kennedy,AP English Language and Composition Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition, (also known as AP English Language, APENG, AP Lang, ELAP, AP English III, or APEL) colloquially known as Lang, is an American course and examination offered by the College Board as part ...

test.

Family

Kennedy has had five children and six grandchildren with his wife Dorothy Mintzlaff Kennedy (1931–2018), and he resides in

Peabody, Massachusetts Peabody () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 54,481 at the time of the 2020 United States census. Peabody is located in the North Shore (Massachusetts), North Shore region of Massachusetts, and is known ...

Bibliography

For adults

Each year of first publication or revised edition links to its corresponding "

ear In vertebrates, an ear is the organ that enables hearing and (in mammals) body balance using the vestibular system. In humans, the ear is described as having three parts: the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear co ...

in poetry" article, for poetry, or "

in literature" article, for plays and prose: *

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

: ''Nude Descending a Staircase: Poems, Songs, a Ballad'' New York: DoubledayWeb page title
"X J Kennedy (1929 – )"
, at the Poetry Foundation website, retrieved August 2, 2010 (reprint edition in the Classic Contemporary Series, Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1994) *

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

: ''Growing into Love'', New York: Doubleday *

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

: ''Bulsh'', Providence, Rhode Island: Burning Deck *

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

: ''Breaking and Entering'', New York: Oxford University Press *

: Editor, with James Camp and

Keith Waldrop Bernard Keith Waldrop (December 11, 1932 – July 27, 2023) was an American poet, translator, publisher, and academic. He won the National Book Award for Poetry for his 2009 collection ''Transcendental Studies: A Trilogy''. Early life and educ ...

: ''Pegasus Descending: A Book of the Best Bad Verse'', New York: Macmillan (Burning Deck, 2003, reprint edition) *

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

: ''Emily Dickinson in Southern California'', Boston: Godine *

: ''Celebrations after the Death of John Brennan'', Lincoln, Massachusetts: Penmaen *

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

: With James Camp and

, ''Three Tenors, One Vehicle'', Columbia, Missouri: Open Places Poet Series"Open Places, Columbia, Missouri, Records, 1961–1987 (C3705)"
at the State Historical Society of Missouri - Columbia website, retrieved June 25, 2013 *

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 6 – A funeral service is held in West Germany for Nazi Grand Admiral ...

: Editor: ''Tygers of Wrath: Poems of Hate, Anger, and Invective'', with wood engravings by Michael McCurdy, Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press *

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

: Translator: ''French Leave: Translations'', (from the French), Edgewood, Kentucky: Robert L. Barth *

: ''Missing Link'', Secaucus, New Jersey: Scheidt Head *

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeas ...

: ''Hangover Mass'', Cleveland: Bits Press *

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a n ...

: ''Cross Ties: Selected Poems'', Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Press *

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

: ''Winter Thunder'', Edgewood, Kentucky: Robert L. Barth *

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

: ''Dark Horses: New Poems'', Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press *

1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...

: ''Jimmy Harlow'', Cugiak, Alaska: Salmon Run Press *

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

: ''Aristophanes'' ''Lysistrata'', a new English version by X.J. Kennedy from ''Aristophones'', Volume 2 (The Penn Complete Greek Drama Series), edited by David R. Slavitt & Palmer Bovie, University of Pennsylvania Press *

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

: ''The Lords of Misrule: Poems, 1992–2001'', Johns Hopkins University Press *

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

: ''In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus: New and Selected Poems, 1955–2007'', Johns Hopkins University Press *

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

: ''A Hoarse Half-Human Cheer'', Curtis Brown Unlimited (a novel) *

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

: ''That Swing: Poetry, 2008–2016'', Johns Hopkins: Poetry and Fiction

For students

All but ''Literature: An Introduction'' (1976) are intended as college texts but have been used by high school students: * 1963: Editor with James Camp: ''Mark Twain's Frontier: A Textbook of Primary Source Materials Research and Writing'', New York: Holt * 1966: An Introduction to Poetry, Boston: Little, Brown (8th edition, with

Dana Gioia Michael Dana Gioia (; born December 24, 1950) is an American poet, literary critic, literary translator, and essayist. Since the early 1980s, Gioia has been considered part of the highly controversial and countercultural literary movements w ...

, New York: HarperCollins, 1993) * 1973: Editor: ''Messages: A Thematic Anthology of Poetry'', Boston: Little, Brown * 1976: ''An Introduction to Fiction'', Boston: Little, Brown (6th edition, with

, New York: HarperCollins, 1995) (Pearson/Longman, 10th edition, 2007) * 1976: ''An Introduction to Poetry'', Boston: Little, Brown (8th edition, with

, New York: HarperCollins, 1993) (Pearson/Longman, 13th edition, 2009) * 1976: ''Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama'', Boston: Little, Brown (7th edition, with

, New York: Longman, 1999; 3rd compacted edition, with Dana Gioia, Longman, 2002) (Pearson/Longman, 10th edition; this edition is also available as a boxed set of four separate paperbacks, as ''Literature, Portable Edition'') * 1982: With Dorothy M. Kennedy: ''

The Bedford Reader ''The Bedford Reader'' is a college composition textbook published by the Bedford/St. Martin's publishing company. It is edited by X. J. Kennedy,Jane E. Aaron Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name including list of persons and characters with the name * Jane (surname), related to the given name including list of persons and characters with the name Film and television * ''Jan ...

, 1991; abridged as ''The Brief Bedford Reader'', 1994) (Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 14th edition, 2006); an abridged edition, ''The Brief Bedford Reader'' (14th edition)Page title
"X. J. Kennedy"
, at Textbooks For Life website, retrieved July 27, 2024 is also available * 1987: With Dorothy M. Kennedy: ''The Bedford Guide for College Writers'', New York: St. Martin's (4th edition, with Dorothy M. Kennedy and Sylvia A. Holliday, 1996), a later edition was written with the same authors and Marcia F. Muth (Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 11th edition) * 2005: ''Handbook of Literary Terms'', with Dana Gioia, and Mark Bauerlein; Pearson/Longman (also available as a trade paperback as ''The Longman Dictionary of Literary Terms'', 2006) * 2007: ''Writing and Revising: A Portable Guide'' by X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth; Bedford/St. Martin's Press

For children

Each year of first publication or revised edition links to its corresponding "

in poetry" article, for poetry, or "

in literature" article, for prose: *

: ''One Winter Night in August and Other Nonsense Jingles'', illustrated by David McPhail, New York: McElderry Books *

: ''The Phantom Ice Cream Man: More Nonsense Verse'', illustrated by David McPhail, New York: McElderry Books *

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...

: ''Did Adam Name the Vinegarroon?'' (verse), illustrated by Heidi Johanna Selig, Boston: Godine *

: Editor, with his wife, Dorothy M. Kennedy: ''Knock at a Star: A Child's Introduction to Poetry'', illustrated by Karen Lee Baker (Little, Brown & Company, revised edition,

) *

: ''The Owlstone Crown'' (novel; also see below), illustrated by Michele Chessare, New York: McElderry Books *

: ''The Forgetful Wishing Well: Poems for Young People'', illustrated by Monica Incisa, New York: McElderry Books *

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

: ''Brats'', humorous verse, illustrated by James Watts, New York: McElderry Books *

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

: ''Ghastlies, Goops, and Pincushions: Nonsense Verse'', illustrated by Ron Barrett; New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster *

: ''Fresh Brats'' (comic verse), illustrated by James Watts; New York: McElderry Books *

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

: ''The Kite That Braved Old Orchard Beach: Year-round Poems for Young People'', illustrated by Marian Young; New York: McElderry Books *

: Compiler with D. M. Kennedy: ''Talking like the Rain: A First Book of Poems'', illustrated by Jane Dyer, Boston: Little, Brown *

: ''The Beasts of Bethlehem'', illustrated by Michael McCurdy (Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 1992); poems about the Nativity, based on the legend that the animals in the stable could speak on Christmas Eve *

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

: ''Drat These Brats!'', humorous verse, illustrated by James Watts; New York: McElderry Books *

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

: ''Uncle Switch: Loony Limericks'' by X.J. Kennedy and illustrated by John O'Brien; New York: McElderry Books *

: Editor, with Dorothy M. Kennedy: ''Talking Like the Rain: A Read-to-me Book of Poems'', illustrated by Jane Dyer; Boston: Little, Brown & Company *

: ''The Eagle as Wide as the World'', novel for children, sequel to ''The Owlstone Crown''Margaret K. New York: McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster *

: ''Elympics'', a picture book of poetry, illustrated by Graham Percy New York: Philomel Books/Penguin Putnam *

: ''Exploding Gravy: Poems to Make You Laugh'', by X.J. Kennedy, illustrated by Joy Allen, Little, Brown, *

: ''Elefantina's Dream'', poetry picture book, illustrated by Graham Percy New York: Philomel Books/Penguin Putnam *

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

: Editor, with Dorothy M. Kennedy: ''Knee-Deep in Blazing Snow: Growing up in Vermont/Poems by James Hayford'', Wordsong/ Boyds Mills

References

* Morris, Bernard E., ''Taking Measure: The Poetry and Prose of X.J. Kennedy'' (Susquehanna University Press, 2003)

Footnotes

External links

"X. J. Kennedy webcast", ''National Bookfest 03''

X.J. Kennedy website
includes some of Kennedy's poetry and a bibliography
Academy of American poets entry

a poetry anthology emphasizing metered poetry
Bedford/St. Martin's LitLinks page for Kennedy

Kennedy's composition textbooks published by Bedford/St. Martin's Press

Kennedy's literature textbooks published by Pearson/Longman

Celticly Wild, Teutonically Fussy: Ernest Hilbert Interviews Kennedy
for the ''

Contemporary Poetry Review Garrick Davis (born 1971 in Los Angeles) is an American poet and critic. He was Poetry Editor of ''First Things'' magazine from 2020 until 2021. Career Davis is the founding editor of the ''Contemporary Poetry Review'', the largest online arch ...

''
Christian Science Monitor article
April 18, 2006

December 13, 2007 * Audio
Kennedy reads "The Battle of Finnsburh: a fragment"
from ''The Word Exchange: Anglo-Saxon Poems in Translation''
The Hopwood Poets Revisited: Eighteen Major Award Winners;"
features two original essays by Kennedy: the first recalling the impact and aftermath of his Hopwood "Major Poetry" Award at the University of Michigan, and the second a memoir of his graduate school literary friendship with fellow poet and National Book Award winner Keith Waldrop {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, X. J. 1929 births Columbia University alumni Formalist poets Living people People from Dover, New Jersey Poets from New Jersey Seton Hall University Tufts University faculty University of California, Irvine faculty University of Michigan alumni University of Michigan faculty University of North Carolina at Greensboro faculty Wellesley College faculty Writers from Morris County, New Jersey Yaddo alumni