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December 16, 2012 • KR Blog • Uncategorized

In Memory of Jake Adam York

By Tyler Meier

 

Our grief is still too fresh for real thinking, but we weep with the entire literary community when we mourn the passing of Jake Adam York earlier this afternoon (12/16/12).  In his great spirit, we want to share and give, as he would and did.  Jake taught for The Kenyon Review this past summer in our Writers Workshop and Young Writers programs.  We recorded each of the readings associated with these programs.  The four poems in the Writers Workshop recording, including “Letter to Be Read By Furnace Light,” “Mayflower,” “Cry of the Occasion,” (first published in the Summer ’12 KR) and “Inscription for Air” (the collective title for his body of elegiac poems dedicated to the memory of the American civil rights martyrs) are all also included in a new manuscript that Jake had just begun circulating entitled Abide.  We can all hope to see Abide in print one day.

[haiku url=”https://www.kenyonreview.org/wp-content/uploads/WW.mp3″] [download label=”Download the audio”]https://www.kenyonreview.org/wp-content/uploads/WW.mp3[/download]

In the spirit of the Young Writers program, the following two poems were created during the two weeks while each program was running during the 2012 summer in Gambier. All the work created during the program is fresh and new. Jake read an early version of “Self-Portrait as Superman (Alternate Take)” during the first session of Young Writers. (This poem was published by the New England Review six days ago; you can find the text here.)

[haiku url=”https://www.kenyonreview.org/wp-content/uploads/Self-Portrait-as-Superman1.mp3″] [download label=”Download the audio”]https://www.kenyonreview.org/wp-content/uploads/Self-Portrait-as-Superman1.mp3[/download]

The last poem, read in the second session of Young Writers, is an early draft of an untitled poem:

[haiku url=”https://www.kenyonreview.org/wp-content/uploads/YW2.mp3″] [download label=”Download the audio”]https://www.kenyonreview.org/wp-content/uploads/YW2.mp3[/download]

About the Program

The Kenyon Review Associates Program provides Kenyon students with valuable experience in literary editing, publishing, and programming. KR Associates work closely with Kenyon Review staff, gaining valuable experience in a number of editing, publishing, and programming areas including manuscript evaluation, publicity and marketing, copy editing, developing web site and social media content, outreach programming, event planning and promotion, and other creative and editorial projects

KR Associates attend regular seminars conducted by Kenyon Review editorial staff, visiting readers, and publishing industry professionals. These seminars cover a wide range of topics including editorial philosophy, evaluation of submissions, print and electronic production, marketing, and design.

KR Associates also enjoy exclusive access to visiting writers and speakers, free issues of The Kenyon Review, and valuable work experience and employment references.

This program is made possible through an initiative of the Kenyon Review, part of the mission of which is to contribute to the enrichment of the academic, cultural, and artistic life of the Kenyon College community.

Requirements and Expectations

  • Submission Evaluation: All Associates are required to read and evaluate eight Kenyon Review submissions per week. Associates who are not able to complete their weekly submission assignments for more than two weeks in a row may not be allowed to continue in the program.
  • Trainings and Seminars: In-person attendance is mandatory at all trainings and seminars. We plan on scheduling six to eight seminars per semester, and most will take place on Thursdays during common hour.
  • Literary Engagement: Associates are expected to participate in literary events on campus and throughout the local community.

Application Details

Applications for the Associates Program are accepted each fall. Kenyon students will receive more information about the program and a link to the application via campus email near the beginning of the fall semester.

Questions? Please contact Jamie Lyn Smith for more information.

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