Jennifer Keith Member Member since 2024

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poems, fiction, reviews, essays.

Fiction Poetry Nonfiction

Jennifer Keith’s poems have appeared in The Nebraska Review, Sewanee Theological Review, Quartet, Free State Review, Smartish Pace, Best American Poetry 2015, Kansas City Review and elsewhere. Her fiction, essays, and reviews have run in Baltimore City Paper, Patuxent Review, Sugar House, and Thin Places. Keith's first full-length poetry book, Terminarch, was selected by David Yezzi for the 2023 Able Muse Book Award. A new manuscript, Rising Lights, will be published by Galileo Press. She lives in Baltimore and plays bass for the rock band Batworth Stone.

Location:: MD
Birthdate:: 24 December
Social:: Blog/web
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Jennifer Keith's Publication History

Oct 2026

Kansas City Review published Mouche

Interview with Jennifer Keith

Where do you prefer to do your creative work?

In my studio or on the patio at The Ivy Bookshop.

Do you read literary journals and magazines regularly? If so, which are your favorites?

I get a bunch of these and love Rattle, Able Muse, Free State Review, New England Review, Cider Press Review, and Smartish Pace.

Who are your literary (or artistic) heroes?

James Merrill, Joy Priest, Joseph Harrison, David Lynch, Grace Cavalieri, Moira Egan, Patricia Smith, most of the Waywiser folks

If you could only take one book on a ten-year voyage, what book would you choose?

The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms edited by Strand and Boland

How much of a typical day (or week) are you able to dedicate to your creative work?

I still write medical stuff for money, so it varies. But on average, about 5 - 10 hours a week. Which never feels like anywhere near enough.

What makes you procrastinate when you could be doing your creative work? What are your strategies for finding focus?

Social media is a horrific addiction I'm trying to wrest myself from. Otherwise, clutter is like visual noise for me, so I'm constantly cleaning and tidying before I can sit down and focus on the work. I keep one room of the house orderly and ready to work in.

How do you celebrate your successes, such as acceptances? How do you handle rejections and other setbacks?

I get pretty bonkers when things get accepted. When I won the Able Muse Book Award in 2023, I almost shouted poor Alex Pepple's ear off over the phone, which I suspect tickled him. I handle rejections by sending more stuff out. At my age, the pity parties only last a day or so, as opposed when I was in my 30s and they lasted years.

How much time do you spend reading for pleasure or edification?

Not nearly enough. But I get dozens of daily poems in my email from various subscriptions, and these help me keep up with what's new -- and often, excitingly good.

Do you have a personal creative style? How would you describe it?

Dark, funny, cinematic, spooky, snarky.

Where do you find inspiration?

Mostly from good poets, but also film and cinema, the uncanny, and pop culture.

What single creative achievement are you most proud of?

By far, my first collection of poems, Terminarch.

Last Updated: 20 Sep 2026