We lose something when we put a poem on a page. It’s a bargain we’ve made for millennia–putting words on a page to represent the experience of hearing. The page preserves poetry, but it forces us to sacrifice the communal hearth experience. We are in a unique moment of history; we no longer have to make this bargain. Technology makes it possible to hear a poet’s voice without sacrificing preservat
ion for intimacy. We can reconcile the two. While readings and recordings have partially filled the need to hear poems, Kenning significantly extends the range of opportunities to hear. Our goal is also to bring together both “page” and “spoken word” poems in one place, in both their written and oral forms. We welcome both established and emerging poets, formal and free verse poets. A traditional “page” version will always be accompanied by an audio-file of the poet reading his or her work. Acceptance and publication are contingent. Once the poet has been notified of acceptance, an audio-file of the poet reading the chosen piece must be sent to Kenning within two weeks. If the author is unable to send us a file in an acceptable format, we will regretfully/tragically/ruthlessly de-accept the poem.
