The opposite of talking isn't listening. The opposite of talking is waiting.

Poet, Translator, Anthologist, Editor and Writer                          

Selected Works:

For Adults:

Each year of first publication or revised edition links to its corresponding "year" in poetry" article, for poetry, or "year in literature" article, for plays and prose:

1961 - Nude Descending a Staircase - Poems, Songs, a Ballad New York - Doubleday - reprint edition in the Classic Contemporary Series, Carnegie Mellon University Press - 1994
1969 - Growing into Love, New York - Doubleday
1970 - Bulsh, Providence, Rhode Island - Burning Deck
1971 - Breaking and Entering, New York
1971 - Editor, with James Camp and Keith Waldrop Descending - A Book of the Best Bad Verse  - Burning Deck, 2003, reprint edition
1974 - Emily Dickinson in Southern California, Boston
1974 - Celebrations after the Death of John Brennan, Lincoln, Massachusetts
1975 - With James Camp and Keith Waldrop, Three Tenors, One Vehicle, Columbia, Missouri - Open Places Poet Series
1981 - Editor - Tygers of Wrath - Poems of Hate, Anger, and Invective, with wood engravings by Michael McCurdy, Athens, Georgia
1983 - Translator - French Leave - Translations, - from the French, Edgewood, Kentucky - Robert L. Barth
1983 - Missing Link, Secaucus, New Jersey - Scheidt Head
1984 - Hangover Mass, Cleveland - Bits Press
1985 - Cross Ties - Selected Poems, Athens, Georgia - University of Georgia Press
1990 - Winter Thunder, Edgewood, Kentucky - Robert L. Barth
1992 - Dark Horses - New Poems, Baltimore
1994 - Jimmy Harlow, Cugiak, Alaska
1999 - Aristophanes' Lysistrata, a new English version by X.J. Kennedy from Aristophones, Volume 2 - The Penn Complete Greek Drama Series, edited by David R. Slavitt & Palmer Bovie
2002 - The Lords of Misrule - Poems, 1992&nspace;2001

For Students:

All but Literature - An Introduction - 1976, are intended as college texts but have been used by high school students:

1963 - Editor with James Camp - Mark Twain's Frontier - A Textbook of Primary Source Materials Research and Writing
1966 - An Introduction to Poetry, Boston - Little, Brown - 8th edition, with Dana Gioia, New York - HarperCollins, 1993
1973 - Editor - Messages - A Thematic Anthology of Poetry, Boston - Little, Brown
1976 - An Introduction to Fiction, Boston - Little, Brown - 6th edition, with Dana Gioia, New York - HarperCollins, 1995 - Pearson/Longman, 10th edition, 2007
1976 - An Introduction to Poetry, Boston - Little, Brown - 8th edition, with Dana Gioia, New York - HarperCollins, 1993  - Pearson/Longman, 12th edition, 2007

1976 - Literature - An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama, Boston - Little, Brown - 7th edition, with Dana Gioia, New York - Longman, 1999; 3rd compacted edition, with Dana Gioia, Longman, 2002 - Pearson/Longman, 10th edition; this edition is also available as a boxed set of four separate paperbacks, as Literature, Portable Edition
1982 - With Dorothy M. Kennedy - The Bedford Reader, New York - St. Martin's - 4th edition, with Jane E. Aaron, 1991; abridged as The Brief Bedford Reader, 1994- Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 9th edition, 2006; an abridged edition, The Brief Bedford Reader - 9th edition is available

1987 - With Dorothy M. Kennedy - The Bedford Guide for College Writers, New York - St. Martin's - 4th edition, with Dorothy M. Kennedy and Sylvia A. Holliday, 1996. A later edition was written with the same authors and Marcia F. Muth - Bedford/St. Martin's Press, 7th edition

2005 - Handbook of Literary Terms, with Dana Gioia, and Mark Bauerlein; Pearson/Longman - also available as a trade paperback as The Longman Dictionary of Literary Terms, 2006

2007 - Writing and Revising - A Portable Guide by X.J. Kennedy, Dorothy M. Kennedy, and Marcia F. Muth; Bedford/St. Martin's Press

For Children:

Each year of first publication or revised edition links to its corresponding "year in poetry" article, for poetry, or "year in literature" article, for prose:
1975 - One Winter Night in August and Other Nonsense Jingles, illustrated by David McPhail, New York - McElderry Books
1975 - The Phantom Ice Cream Man - More Nonsense Verse, illustrated by David McPhail, New York - McElderry Books
1982 - Did Adam Name the Vinegarroon? - verse, illustrated by Heidi Johanna Selig, Boston - Godine
1982 - Editor, with his wife, Dorothy M. Kennedy - Knock at a Star - A Child's Introduction to Poetry, illustrated by Karen Lee Baker - Little, Brown & Company, revised edition, 1999
1983 - The Owlstone Crown - novel; also see below, illustrated by Michele Chessare, New York - McElderry Books
1985 - The Forgetful Wishing Well - Poems for Young People, illustrated by Monica Incisa, New York - McElderry Books
1986 - Brats, humorous verse, illustrated by James Watts, New York - McElderry Books
1989 - Ghastlies, Goops, and Pincushions - Nonsense Verse, illustrated by Ron Barrett; New York - Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
1990 - Fresh Brats - comic verse, illustrated by James Watts; New York - McElderry Books
1991 - The Kite That Braved Old Orchard Beach - Year-round Poems for Young People, illustrated by Marian Young; New York - McElderry Books
1992 - Compiler with D. M. Kennedy - Talking like the Rain - A First Book of Poems, illustrated by Jane Dyer, Boston - Little, Brown3
1992 - The Beasts of Bethlehem, illustrated by Michael McCurdy - Margaret K. McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster, 1992; poems about the Nativity, based on the legend that the animals in the stable could speak on Christmas Eve
1993 - Drat These Brats!, humorous verse, illustrated by James Watts
1997 - Uncle Switch - Loony Limericks by X.J. Kennedy and illustrated by John O'Brien
1992 - Editor, with Dorothy M. Kennedy - Talking Like the Rain - A Read-to-me Book of Poems, illustrated by Jane Dyer; Boston - Little, Brown & Company
1997 - The Eagle as Wide as the World, novel for children, sequel to The Owlstone CrownMargaret K. New York - McElderry Books/Simon & Schuster
1999 - Elympics, a picture book of poetry, illustrated by Graham Percy New York - Philomel Books/Penguin Putnam
2002 - Exploding Gravy - Poems to Make You Laugh, by X.J. Kennedy, illustrated by Joy Allen, Little, Brown
2002 - Elefantina's Dream, poetry picture book, illustrated by Graham Percy New York
2005 - Editor, with Dorothy M. Kennedy - Knee-Deep in Blazing Snow - Growing up in Vermont/Poems by James Hayford, Wordsong/ Boyds Mills.                          

Born Joseph Charles Kennedy, and was long known as Joe Kennedy; but, not wishing to share a name with Joseph P. Kennedy, he later added an "X" as his first initial.