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

Dover, New Jersey Dover is a town in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. Located on the Rockaway River, Dover is about west of New York City and about west of Newark, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the town's population was 18,157,

) 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 ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

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 ''transl ...

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 excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically catego ...

, editor, and author of

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

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 (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the patriarch of the Irish-American Ken ...

, 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 of '' 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 pleasure of others who share ...

, including ''Vampire'' (a quarterly, 1945–1947) and the ''Vampire Annuals''. He was a member of several

amateur press associations An amateur press association (APA) is a group of people who produce individual pages or zines that are sent to a Central Mailer for collation and distribution to all members of the group. History The first APAs were formed by groups of amateur pr ...

, and co-founded the still-extant Spectator Amateur Press Association (SAPS). Between 1947 and 1953 he wrote

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

stories for

pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 to the late 1950s. The term "pulp" derives from the cheap wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed. In contrast, magazine ...

using the names Joe Kennedy or Joquel Kennedy. Kennedy attended

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

(BSc, 1950) and

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 ...

(MA, 1951). After serving for four years as an enlisted journalist with the U.S. Navy's Atlantic Fleet, he studied at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

from 1955 to 1956. Kennedy then spent the next six years pursuing a graduate degree in English at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

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 system. UNCG, like all members of the UNC system, is a stand- ...

, and

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

(1963–1978), with visiting professorships at Wellesley College; the

University of California, Irvine The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...

; and the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

Writing career

In the early 1970s, Kennedy and his wife Dorothy co-edited the influential journal '' Counter/Measures'', a precursor in the

New Formalist ''The New Formalist'' was a United States-based literary periodical published (since 2001) monthly in electronic form and once a year in print form. Distributed by ''The New Formalist Press'' and edited by Leo Yankevich, it published many of th ...

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 works by Jack Kerouac, Phil ...

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

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'', ''

Poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

'', 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 194 ...

''. 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, and art. Its fixed number membership is elected for lifetime appointments. Its headqu ...

' 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 outreach ...

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 outreach ...

, 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 federal ...

, 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 The Poetry Society of America is a literary organization founded in 1910 by poets, editors, and artists. It is the oldest poetry organization in the United States. Past members of the society have included such renowned poets as Witter Bynner, Ro ...

's Robert Frost Medal for lifetime service to poetry in 2009. In 2015, he received the Jackson Poetry Prize, awarded by Poets & Writers. Kennedy also wrote a series of children's poetry books (''Brats''), translated

Aristophanes Aristophanes (; grc, Ἀριστοφάνης, ; c. 446 – c. 386 BC), son of Philippus, of the deme Kydathenaion ( la, Cydathenaeum), was a comic playwright or comedy-writer of ancient Athens and a poet of Old Attic Comedy. Eleven of his for ...

' ''

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

'' 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, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Jane E. Aaron. It is widely used in freshman composition courses at colleges ...

'', a collegiate literature textbook used for teaching to the

AP English Language and Composition Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition (also known as AP English Language, APENG, or AP Lang) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. When AP exams were first impleme ...

test.

Family

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

Lexington, Massachusetts Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was firs ...

Bibliography

For adults

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

ear An ear is the organ that enables hearing and, in mammals, body balance using the vestibular system. In mammals, the ear is usually described as having three parts—the outer ear, the middle ear and the inner ear. The outer ear consists of ...

in poetry" article, for poetry, or "

in literature" article, for plays and prose: *

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

: ''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 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 **Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

: ''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 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (''Extreme''). Between 10,000 and ...

: ''Bulsh'', Providence, Rhode Island: Burning Deck * 1971: ''Breaking and Entering'', New York: Oxford University Press * 1971: Editor, with James Camp and Keith Waldrop: ''Pegasus Descending: A Book of the Best Bad Verse'', New York: Macmillan (Burning Deck, 2003, reprint edition) * 1974: ''Emily Dickinson in Southern California'', Boston: Godine * 1974: ''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 Keith Waldrop, ''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 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

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

1983 The year 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 ...

: 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 ...

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

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...

: ''Winter Thunder'', Edgewood, Kentucky: Robert L. Barth * 1992: ''Dark Horses: New Poems'', Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press *

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson ...

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

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shoot ...

: ''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 Lords of Misrule: Poems, 1992-2001'', Johns Hopkins University Press * 2007: ''In a Prominent Bar in Secaucus: New and Selected Poems, 1955-2007'', Johns Hopkins University Press *

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

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

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the Impeachment of Dilma Rousseff, impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses duri ...

: ''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 literary movements within American poetry known as New Forma ...

, 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: ''

'', New York: St. Martin's (4th edition, with Jane E. Aaron, 1991; abridged as ''The Brief Bedford Reader'', 1994) (Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 9th edition, 2006); an abridged edition, ''The Brief Bedford Reader'' (9th edition) 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, 7th 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: ''Did Adam Name the Vinegarroon?'' (verse), illustrated by Heidi Johanna Selig, Boston: Godine * 1982: 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 enter ...

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

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...

: ''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 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phi ...

: ''The Kite That Braved Old Orchard Beach: Year-round Poems for Young People'', illustrated by Marian Young; New York: McElderry Books * 1992: Compiler with D. M. Kennedy: ''Talking like the Rain: A First Book of Poems'', illustrated by

Jane Dyer Jane Dyer (born 1949) is an American author and illustrator of more than fifty books, including Amy Krouse Rosenthal's ''Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons, Cookies'' series and Jeanne Birdsall's ''Lucky and Squash''. Background Dyer grew up in N ...

, Boston: Little, Brown * 1992: ''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 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

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

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...

: ''Uncle Switch: Loony Limericks'' by X.J. Kennedy and illustrated by John O'Brien; New York: McElderry Books * 1992: 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 Graham Percy (7 June 1938 – 4 January 2008) was a New Zealand-born artist, designer and illustrator. His work was the subject of ''The Imaginative Life and Times of Graham Percy'', a major posthumous exhibition of his work which was shown at ga ...

New York: Philomel Books/Penguin Putnam * 2002: ''Exploding Gravy: Poems to Make You Laugh'', by X.J. Kennedy, illustrated by Joy Allen, Little, Brown, * 2002: ''Elefantina's Dream'', poetry picture book, illustrated by

New York: Philomel Books/Penguin Putnam * 2005: 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 Living people Formalist poets Columbia University alumni People from Dover, New Jersey Poets from New Jersey Science fiction fans Seton Hall University Tufts University faculty University of North Carolina at Greensboro faculty University of Michigan faculty University of Michigan alumni University of California, Irvine faculty Wellesley College faculty