The Shore Interview #40: Mickie Kennedy

Questions by Taylor N. Schaefer, Interview Editor

TNS: I found myself fascinated by the first stanza of "Shoving Newspaper into My Shoes:" “I grew up afraid/of photographs, the shudder/ of lens and shutter—antelopes/caught in the glass at the zoo.” This image of a fleet-footed prey animal caught, the ability of a photograph to similarly catch a fleeting moment in time. Can you speak to the role of confinement and memory in this poem?

MK: The antelopes, which are usually associated with grace and freedom, are trapped within the confines of the glass enclosure. This image symbolizes the feeling of being trapped or confined by the act of being photographed, as if a moment in time is frozen and captured. Photographs are often seen as vessels of memory. They capture moments in time, preserving them for posterity. However, in the context of the poem, the fear of photographs suggests that these captured moments might not always be pleasant or desired memories.

TNS: In your poems in this issue and your work in general, what do you feel is the role of the strange? How do the strange and queerness intertwine and reflect each other?

MK: The role of the strange in poetry is often to disrupt familiar patterns and challenge conventional perspectives. The strange introduces an element of surprise, ambiguity, and sometimes discomfort, prompting readers to reconsider their assumptions and view the world from a different angle.

Both queerness and the strange can be employed to amplify marginalized voices and experiences. They can shed light on the lives of individuals who don't conform to traditional standards—like me, a gay man who spent twenty years married to a woman—providing a platform for their stories and perspectives. They challenge readers to reconsider their preconceived notions about identity, love and belonging.

TNS: “Sonnet with Eyelids and Frogs” centers on the natural process of small things: frogs calling for mates, a sliver of a new moon, children made small as mice, a glove in the snow. Why place emphasis on the small here?

MK: I’m interested in the contrast between these small things and how they opened a vast field of spaciousness within me. This poem orbits a domestic life I never thought I’d call my own. The domestic is composed of tiny moments, tiny images, tiny people: but the impact they make is mysterious and vast.

TNS: Are there any journals or magazines you're currently enjoying?

MK: I have been very impressed with & Change, a new journal of gay poetry, edited by Kevin Bertolero. I’ve also enjoyed the latest issues of The Paris Review, Nimrod and Gulf Coast.

TNS: Please speak to how two poems in this issue of The Shore (not including your own) are in conversation with each other.

MK: The two poems, “Life in Pay-Per-View” by Justin Howerton, and “The Boss” by J P Dancing Bear, share thematic elements and emotions. In “Life in Pay-Per-View,” there is a longing for the past and a sense of missed opportunities. The speaker expresses a desire to step off the carousel of life and make different choices. In “The Boss,” there's a feeling of looking back on the past, particularly a relationship, with a sense of longing and a hint of regret. In “Life in Pay-Per-View,” there is a reference to the speaker's father and a desire for a son. In “The Boss," the relationship between the speaker and someone they drove away is central to the poem. These characters and relationships add depth to the poems and evoke complex emotions.

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Mickie Kennedy (he/him) is a gay writer who resides in Baltimore County, Maryland with his family and a shy cat that lives under his son's bed. A Pushcart Prize nominee, his work has appeared or is forthcoming in Threepenny Review, The Southern Review, Colorado Review, Gulf Coast, Nimrod, Copper Nickel and elsewhere. A finalist for the 2023 Pablo Neruda Prize, he earned an MFA from George Mason University.