Maurice Frank Kenny (August 16, 1929 – April 16, 2016) was an American poet who identified as
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to:
Related to Native Americans
*Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York)
*Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people
*Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...
descent.
Life
Maurice Frank Kenny was born on August 16, 1929, in
Watertown, New York
Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the ...
. He identified his father as being of
Mohawk Mohawk may refer to:
Related to Native Americans
*Mohawk people, an indigenous people of North America (Canada and New York)
*Mohawk language, the language spoken by the Mohawk people
*Mohawk hairstyle, from a hairstyle once thought to have been t ...
and
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
ancestry,
[Motyka, John (April 26, 2016).]
Maurice Kenny, Who Explored His Mohawk Heritage in Poetry, Dies at 86
" ''New York Times''. Retrieved 2016-05-03. from Canada and his mother, who was born in
Upstate New York
Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...
, as being of English and
Seneca
Seneca may refer to:
People and language
* Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname
* Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America
** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people
Places Extrat ...
ancestry.
The Kenny family, which also included two older sisters, lived in Watertown and Kenny spend his school years there and his summers on his relatives' farm in nearby Cape Vincent until his parents separated when he was "eleven or twelve".
["Introduction: A Memoir" in ''On Second Thought: A Compilation (Univ. of Oklahoma Press, 1995)''] His mother moved to
Bayonne, New Jersey
Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...
and his father remained in Watertown, with young Maurice remaining predominantly in his father's custody for most of his adolescence. He briefly stayed with friends of his mother's in
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
before running away, after which he moved to his mother's residence in Bayonne when he was sixteen. Rather than attending school there, Kenny skipped classes regularly, preferring to go into
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
and seek autographs from stars of film and theatre outside hotels.
After several months of this, Kenny was brought before a juvenile judge for truancy and had to be returned to his father's custody and to Watertown, where he completed his high school years.
After graduation, Kenny spent a summer with a traveling theater troupe in
Alexandria Bay, New York
Alexandria Bay is a village in Jefferson County, New York, United States, within the town of Alexandria. It is located in the Thousand Islands region of northern New York. The population of the village was 1,078 at the 2010 United States Census. I ...
. Thereafter, he spent a year in New York trying to break into the theatre as an actor, but returned to Watertown after a year.
He spent four years studying at
Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...
under such esteemed instructors as Werner Beyer and Roy Marz, graduating in 1956 with a degree in English. Kenny once again returned to Watertown briefly after graduating, taking classes with Douglas Angus at nearby
St. Lawrence University in
Canton, New York
Canton is an incorporated town in St. Lawrence County, New York. The population was 11,638 at the time of the 2020 census. The town contains two villages: one also named Canton, the other named Rensselaer Falls. The town is named after the gr ...
. He left again for Manhattan in 1957, intending to enroll at
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, but instead became the manager of a branch of Marboro Books, a position that put him in contact with all manner of literary, cinematic, and theatrical figures.
He also began taking courses at
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, where he met poet and critic
Louise Bogan
Louise Bogan (August 11, 1897 – February 4, 1970) was an American poet. She was appointed the fourth Poet Laureate to the Library of Congress in 1945, and was the first woman to hold this title. Throughout her life she wrote poetry, fiction, ...
, the greatest influence on his early development as a writer.
During the early 1960s, Kenny moved to
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
, where he worked as a secretary for the novelist
Willard Motley
Willard Francis Motley (July 14, 1909 – March 4, 1965) was an American writer. Motley published a column in the African-American oriented ''Chicago Defender'' newspaper under the pen-name Bud Billiken. He also worked as a freelance writer, and ...
. In 1964, he moved to the
United States Virgin Islands
The United States Virgin Islands,. Also called the ''American Virgin Islands'' and the ''U.S. Virgin Islands''. officially the Virgin Islands of the United States, are a group of Caribbean islands and an unincorporated and organized territory ...
, and then in 1966 to Chicago, where he wrote obituaries for the ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'', before returning to New York in 1967 and settling in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, which was his home until 1984.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Kenny was increasingly active in Native American activism, having undergone an awakening to the extent and significance of his own Mohawk identity in the wake of the
Occupation of Alcatraz
The Occupation of Alcatraz (November 20, 1969 – June 11, 1971) was a 19-month long protest when 89 Native Americans and their supporters occupied Alcatraz Island. The protest was led by Richard Oakes, LaNada Means, and others, while John T ...
in 1969. He was prevented from being at
Wounded Knee in 1973 because of health issues, but wrote a poem entitled "I Am the Sun" that adapted a traditional
Lakota
Lakota may refer to:
*Lakota people, a confederation of seven related Native American tribes
*Lakota language, the language of the Lakota peoples
Place names
In the United States:
*Lakota, Iowa
*Lakota, North Dakota, seat of Nelson County
*Lakota ...
chant into a statement of solidarity with the protesters and activists.
Having not published extensively since the early 1960s, Kenny embarked on the most productive period of his life in the late 1970s, producing more than twenty books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction over the next two decades, as well as co-editing the journal ''Contact/II'' with Josh Gosciak and running the independent Strawberry Press, which published predominantly Native authors.
After 1984, Kenny divided his time primarily between the upstate New York towns of
Saranac Lake, and
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...
. He taught at
North Country Community College
North Country Community College is a public community college in Saranac Lake, New York. It is part of the State University of New York system. Founded in 1967, the college's main campus is located in Saranac Lake, New York, and it has additi ...
,
Paul Smith's College
Paul Smith's College is a private college in Paul Smiths, New York. Paul Smith's College offers associate and bachelor's degrees. Its 14,000-acre campus is one of the largest college campuses in the world. Approximately 1,000 students attend ...
, and
SUNY Potsdam
The State University of New York at Potsdam (SUNY Potsdam or, colloquially, Potsdam) is a public college in Potsdam, New York. It is the northernmost member of the State University of New York (SUNY) system. Founded in 1816, it is among the ...
and retired from his teaching duties at the latter in 2011. He lived the final years of his life in Saranac Lake, where he died on April 16, 2016.
At the time of his death, he was working on six separate book manuscripts, including an autobiography and several collections of poetry on topics ranging from
Frida Kahlo
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón (; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, ...
to the Dutch settlement of the
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley (also known as the Hudson River Valley) comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in the U.S. state of New York. The region stretches from the Capital District including Albany and Troy south to ...
during the 1600s.
Education
Kenny was educated at
Butler University
Butler University is a private university in Indianapolis, Indiana. Founded in 1855 and named after founder Ovid Butler, the university has over 60 major academic fields of study in six colleges: the Lacy School of Business, College of Communic ...
,
St. Lawrence University and
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
, where he studied with American poet
Louise Bogan
Louise Bogan (August 11, 1897 – February 4, 1970) was an American poet. She was appointed the fourth Poet Laureate to the Library of Congress in 1945, and was the first woman to hold this title. Throughout her life she wrote poetry, fiction, ...
.
Career
Kenny was co-editor with Josh Gosciak of ''
Contact/II'', a literary magazine and occasional poetry press that was active between 1976 and 1993. Kenny was also the editor and publisher of Strawberry Press (most active in the 1970s and 1980s) and Many Moons Press (most active in the 2000s and 2010s). Strawberry Press published poems and artwork, often in postcard form, by Native Americans. Many Moons Press published poetry and artwork primarily from writers and artists associated with the North Country of New York State, including photographer Mark Kurtz and poets Dan Bodah and Ethan Shantie.
Kenny read his poetry throughout the United States and Europe, including in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, and
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
during two visits to the continent in 2011 and 2012. Notable New York City readings included the Poetry Festival at St. Clement's Church, West 46th Street, Manhattan;
Waterways: Poetry in the Mainstream readings and book fairs; the
American Indian Community House;
Poets House
Poets House is a national literary center and poetry library based in New York City. It contains more than 70,000 volumes of poetry, and is free and open to the public. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, they temporarily suspended operations in Nov ...
; and many other venues.
Kenny held residencies at a number of colleges and universities, including
St. Lawrence University (which granted him an honorary doctorate in 1995), the American Indian Community House in New York City, the
Oneida Nation
The Oneida Nation is a federally recognized tribe of Oneida people in Wisconsin. The tribe's reservation spans parts of two counties west of the Green Bay metropolitan area. The reservation was established by treaty in 1838, and was allotted to ...
in Wisconsin, the
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...
, the En'owkin Center, the
University of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two Territories became the state of Oklahom ...
, and Syracuse Community Writers (funded by the
New York State Council on the Arts
The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...
).
Awards and honors
*In 2014, the Empire State Center for the Book of the
New York State Library
The New York State Library is a research library in Albany, New York, United States. It was established in 1818 to serve the state government of New York and is part of the New York State Education Department. The library is one of the largest ...
inducted Kenny into the
New York Writers Hall of Fame
The New York State Writers Hall of Fame or NYS Writers Hall of Fame is a project established in 2010 by the Empire State Center for the Book, which is the New York State affiliate of the U.S. Library of Congress's Center for the Book, and the Em ...
.
*In 2002, he received the
Lifetime Achievement Award
Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions.
Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include:
A
* A.C. ...
from the
Native Writers' Circle of the Americas The Native Writers' Circle of the Americas (NWCA) is an organization of Native American writers, most notable for its literary awards, presented annually to Native American writers in three categories: ''First Book of Poetry'', ''First Book of Prose ...
.
*In 2000, the
Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers awarded Kenny the Elder Recognition Award.
*In 1995, he received an
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
from
St. Lawrence University.
*In 1984, ''The Mama Poems'' received the
American Book Award
The American Book Award is an American literary award that annually recognizes a set of books and people for "outstanding literary achievement". According to the 2010 awards press release, it is "a writers' award given by other writers" and "the ...
from the
Before Columbus Foundation
The Before Columbus Foundation is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Ishmael Reed, "dedicated to the promotion and dissemination of contemporary American multicultural literature". The Foundation makes annual awards for books published in ...
.
*In 1983, ''Wounds Beneath the Flesh'' received ''
Bloomsbury Reviews award for best anthology.
*Kenny received a
National Public Radio
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...
Award for Broadcasting for a radio production of his poem "Dug-Out."
Nominations
* In 1996, ''On Second Thought (book), On Second Thought'' was a finalist for the Oklahoma Book Award in fiction.
* Kenny was twice nominated for the
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
, for his book ''Blackrobe: Isaac Jogues'' and the collection ''Between Two Rivers''.
Poetry
*''The Hopeless Kill,'' ''
Watertown Daily Times
The ''Watertown Daily Times'' is a newspaper published six days a week, Tuesday through Sunday, in Watertown, New York. It provides coverage of Jefferson County, Lewis County, St. Lawrence County and Oswego County. It was founded in 1861 and ...
'' (1956)
[''Maurice Kenny: Celebrations of a Mohawk Writer,'' ed. Penelope Myrtle Kelsey (SUNY Press 2011), p. 157, "Bibliography."]
*''Dead Letters Sent, and Other Poems,'' Troubadour Press (1958)
*''With Love to Lesbia,'' Aardvark Press (1959)
*''And Grieve, Lesbia,'' Aardvark Press (1960)
*''North: Poems of Home,'' Blue Cloud Quarterly (1977)
*''Only As Far As Brooklyn,'' Good Gay Poets Press (1979)
*''I Am The Sun,'' White Pine Press (1979)
*''Dancing Back Strong the Nation: Poems by Maurice Kenny'', with an introduction by
aula Gunn Allen White Pine Press (1981)
*''Kneading the Blood,'' Strawberry Press (1981)
*''Blackrobe: Isaac Jogues, b. March 11, 1607, d. October 18, 1646: Poems,'' North Country Community College Press (1982)
*''Boston Tea Party,'' Soup Press (1982)
*''The Smell of Slaughter,'' Blue Cloud Quarterly (1982)
*''Wounds Beneath the Flesh'' (1983)
*''The Mama Poems,'' White Pine Press (1st ed. 1984, 2nd ed. 2008)
*''Is Summer This Bear,'' Chauncy Press (1985)
*''Between Two Rivers: Selected Poems, 1956-1984,'' White Pine Press (1985)
''Greyhounding This America'' ''Poems and Dialog by Maurice Kenny,'' Heidelberg Graphics (1988)
*''Humors And/Or Not So Humorous,'' Swift Kick Press (1988)
*''The Short and the Long of It,'' University of Arkansas Press (1990)
*''Last Mornings in Brooklyn,'' Point Riders Press (1991)
*''Tekonwatonti: Molly Brant (1735-1795): Poems of War,'' White Pine Press (1st ed. 1992, 2nd ed. 2008)
*''On Second Thought: A Compilation,'' University of Oklahoma Press (1995)
*''In the Time of the Present: New Poems,'' Michigan State University Press (2000)
*''Carving Hawk: New and Selected Poems, 1956-2000,'' White Pine Press (2005)
*''Connotations,'' White Pine Press (2008)
*''Feeding Bears,'' Many Moons Press (2010)
*''Saranac Lake Ghost Poems,'' Ghost City Press (2016)
*''Monahsetah, Resistance, and Other Markings on Turtle’s Back,'' Mongrel Empire (2017)
Mongrel Empire, last accessed 27 July 2017.
*''Wild Daisies from the Side of the Road: A Collective Tribute to Maurice Kenny,'' Many Moons Press (2018)
Prose
*''Rain and Other Fictions,'' White Pine (1991)
*''Backward to Forward: Prose Pieces,'' White Pine (1997)
*''Tortured Skins and Other Fictions,'' Michigan State University Press (2000)
*''Angry Rain: A Memoir,'' State University of New York Press (October 2018)
References
External links
Maurice Kenny official site
Memorial tribute to Kenny in ''Dawnland Voices 2.0''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenny, Maurice Frank
1929 births
2016 deaths
American male poets
American people of Mohawk descent
Butler University alumni
American gay writers
New York University alumni
People from Watertown, New York
State University of New York faculty
State University of New York at Potsdam faculty
St. Lawrence University alumni
Writers from New York (state)
American Book Award winners
Deaths from kidney failure