Bern Porter Underground Maine Literary Laureate

We need a Patch Adams for Maine literature – see the movie – so we begin the search with the Bern Porter Maine Underground Literary Laureate. I want to recognize and encourage youth, or those of any age, who rock the boat of the literary establishment – like Patch Adams – and us old folks so well recognized and accepted – who just may be set in our ways of incarcerating literature in the comfortably square rooms of libraries, not recognizing that literature is a living breathing human being, gaining its genius from life. So, for life, literature.

jessy kendall
We have the Maine Poet Laureate, Belfast Poet Laureate and the Portland Poet Laureate. We have not had a writer who represents a radical, avant garde, or life-ly, literary direction. So I decided to establish the Bern Porter Underground Maine Literary Laureate. I hope this will note to the avant-garde writers who explore literature here in Maine that they are recognized despite their straying from literary acceptability with a Patch Adams' spirit - even if they wear the red enema bulb for a nose!

The first Bern Porter Underground Maine Literary Laureate is jessy kendall – a young man from Woodstock, Maine – as Bern Porter was from the backwoods of Porter Plantation in Aroostook County. This choice does not mean that I write, create, as jessy kendall does: I do not. I cannot, would be a better characterization, but I do respect his direction. So those chosen for the award do not have to write as I do: the one criteria is that they demonstrate action to extend Maine literature beyond traditional forms in some way.

Here is jessy kendall’s bio – in his own words -

“male, 31, white. raised in the woods, gave a glimpse to the natural parts, what we call The Environment and think of as an issue. the country is more physical. fat, bisexual, sensitive. pothead. self publishes 50 issues of monthly zine called Letter Founder. please send in work for this. collaborates Mainely, nationally, internationally in mail-art and music projects. plays and records music with people and alone. likes the simple, needs to hone more though. i stay consistent. as consistent is more important. i do a lot of everything. i edit less and write new things more. it's working out okay. i volunteer around my community, with arts agencies and local politics. i do collages after work to relax. work at homeless teen center. do zines for them of their art and writing. help host and go to lots of open mics - because they are our story nights now, our potluck suppers. so important. do a yearly color zine called Answer Shirker; the name of ‘my Press’. which is/are my eyes.”


©Copyright 2007, T. Fallon/Maine Poetry Workshop