The Life and Work of Maurice Kenny [S-21-16]

Maurice Kenny (1929-2016) was one of the most influential and prolific literary figures associated with the North Country. Born and raised around the Watertown area, Kenny’s later wanderings took him all around the world, and his six-decade career as a poet, editor, essayist, and teacher made him into one of the most influential figures in American literature. Although his full awakening into his Mohawk identity only came near the midpoint of his life, Kenny’s poetic expression thereof and his active support for indigenous writers made this the central theme of the second half of his life.

Derek C. Maus is Professor of English and Interdisciplinary Studies at SUNY Potsdam. He specializes in contemporary literature, particularly African American fiction. He is also the legal executor of Maurice Kenny’s literary estate and edited Kenny’s posthumously published memoir Angry Rain (SUNY Press, 2018).

Weblinks: 

Wild Daisies from the Side of the Road (https://wildroadsidedaisies.wordpress.com/)

Angry Rain (https://www.sunypress.edu/p-6604-angry-rain.aspx) 

Click here for recording of the class on 04-15-2021.

Special Instructions: Although neither of them is required reading, having a copy of either Wild Daisies from the Side of the Road (https://wildroadsidedaisies.wordpress.com/) or Angry Rain (https://www.sunypress.edu/p-6604-angry-rain.aspx) would not go amiss.

Cap: 100