People really want to talk to Kendall about her job. It’s one of the few in the nation that people feel compelled to hold opinions on – ripe for dinner conversations about teachers’ failures as individuals, but with very little reflection on the system that binds them alongside us all. 

A lot has changed in Kendall’s years in the classroom. Unsurprisingly, not enough change has been made by way of gun reform. This book not only tackles taboo subject matter deftly but also from a place of real frustration. It’s catharsis. The title is “A Teacher Writes About a School Shooting That Has Not Happened Yet,” but the majority of the poems are about one teacher’s day-to-day with the kids. It’s hopeful and honest and maybe even funny.

Written in large part during Kendall’s City Books residency last summer and released by Poetry Lounge Press (does your bar publish poetry?), get your copy Tuesday August 5 from 6-7 before the open mic at Poetry Lounge! Hosted by Ale Hakala and featuring Porter Norton McDonald

We encourage everyone to read more, get involved in local educational policy making, and to pick up Kendall’s debut chapbook!