Student Spotlight: An Interview with First Year Poetry Student Kenn Hunn, Bookseller at The Whispering Shelf Bookstore

by Kellie Stewart
May 2024

In the final weeks of completing their first year in the Butler MFA program, poetry student Kenn Hunn joined the team of The Whispering Shelf, a new bookstore that opened on April 27th–Independent Bookstore Day–in the Lockerbie neighborhood of Indianapolis.

“The beautiful thing about being in Butler’s MFA and working in a bookstore is that there’s a throughline,” said Hunn. “I think as a writer, it’s important to be tapped into all the spheres.”

Hunn, an Indianapolis native, returned to their home city after years living in other parts of the country. After graduating from Ben Davis University High School, they moved to Vermont to attend Green Mountain College where they studied poetry and English. Following undergrad, Hunn was accepted to Louisiana State University’s MFA program. Upon arriving, they realized how different their experience was from their peers as an early 20-something-year-old.

“It was hard being a baby because how can you stand on what you believe when your frontal lobe isn’t fully developed?” Hunn said.

“Everyone was like 30 and married and I was 22, in a crop top and like, ‘I want to write poems.’”

When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged towards the end of their first year at LSU, Hunn made the decision to return to Indy.

“In the years since I came home, Indy has been so amazing. All these bookstores that are thriving in the city, juxtaposed with the image of coming home. It really feels like Indy’s at a turning point,” they said.

Hunn credits part of their decision to apply for the Butler MFA program to alumni and previous Writers-in-Residence of the program, whose work they admired.

“It’s been a turning point for me as an artist. I did so much running from my city, when the groundwork for me as an artist, me as a poet, was already being built here from where I was from by people like Kaveh [Akbar], Leah [Johnson], and Hanif [Abdurraqib]. I did all that running for no reason. The timing was right–right at that cusp period.”

Hunn began in the fall of 2023. At the time, they were teaching 10th grade literature and creative writing. They encouraged their students to work on their own writing projects and poetry chapbooks. Inspired by their students’ work and their Voice and Vision course, taught by poetry professor and Butler Poet-in-Residence Alessandra Lynch, Hunn made the decision to step away from teaching to focus more fully on their writing.

“I knew I had to get myself back. How do I tell someone to follow their dreams when I’ve deferred mine?” they asked.

When their best friend spotted a job posting for a bookseller at an upcoming bookstore, Hunn immediately applied for the position.

“I usually linger on things, but something was calling me to this space. I think Marlow, our store manager, and Anna, who’s a bookseller like me, we all just felt really drawn to this job no matter how we found out about it.”

Owned by Butler alum Lena Burt, The Whispering Shelf offered special days leading up to their grand opening, such as Neighbors Day and Universal Design Day–“to get feedback for how to design our space to be accessible to all.”

The store’s mission states: “To provide Indianapolis booklovers access to their next great story or learning opportunity. It is our commitment to promote a love of the written word, to make love of reading accessible to all, and to be intentional about representation, community, and continuous learning and growth.”

“One thing I want everyone to understand is that it’s not just a bookstore. It’s not just a place with shelves of books,” said Hunn. “This is your space. You should come here and work and come to the book clubs and have your first dates, whatever it is. This is that space that we want to curate and it also has books and trinkets for you to buy.”

Now surrounded by books and a supportive team, Hunn is focusing on building on their skills as a bookseller, as well as the process of submitting their chapbook, “Gristle,” for publication. Starting in June, Hunn will host a reading series at The Whispering Shelf. The series’ first reader will be Butler MFA Thomas Kneeland (’23).

Visitors to the now open bookstore will find a shelf dedicated to books written by Butler MFA students, alumni, and current or former professors–curated by Hunn.

“There’s a really special thing about the Butler shelf,” they said. “Holding those books in my hands, I know that there’s room for me in this stack.”

Follow The Whispering Shelf on Facebook and Instagram: @thewhisperingshelf

Follow Kenn Hunn on Instagram:  @vicepresidentkenn