Born: August 16, 1929, in Watertown, NY
Died: April 16, 2016, in Saranac Lake
Dr. Maurice F. Kenny was a poet and teacher. His work was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize He was a son of Andrew and Doris Herrick Kenny.
Kenny read his poetry throughout the United States and Europe. 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; 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 of Wisconsin, the University of California, Berkeley, the En'owkin Center, the University of Oklahoma, and Syracuse Community Writers (funded by the New York State Council on the Arts).
After 1984, Kenny divided his time primarily between Saranac Lake and Potsdam. He taught at North Country Community College, Paul Smith's College, and SUNY Potsdam; he retired from his teaching duties at Potsdam in 2011. He lived the final years of his life in Saranac Lake, where he died on April 16, 2016.
He is buried in Brookside Cemetery, Lowville, N.Y.
Source:
- Wikipedia: Maurice Kenny
External links:
- Adirondack Daily Enterprise, April 19, 2016, Mohawk poet honored in death
- New York Times, April 27, 2016, Maurice Kenny, Who Explored His Mohawk Heritage in Poetry, Dies at 86
- Plattsburgh Press Republican, April 24, Charismatic poet tastes strawberries