Author Spotlight: Mckendy Fils-Aimé
- letraslatinasblog2
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Buy: sipèstisyon by Mckendy Fils-Aimé | YesYes Books | $20 | 94 pages | 978-1-946303-15-8 | 06/ 16/26
How did you get into writing? Can you pinpoint a memory where it all began for you?
I started writing after reading "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe in my high school sophomore English class. I was a visual artist at the time, and while I appreciated poetry, like a lot of teenagers, I didn’t really “get it. ” My teacher explained the different poetic devices in Annabel Lee in a very compelling way, and I was hooked. I felt like I had entered a room I had been in countless times, but through a different doorway. I thought playing with language was the coolest thing and started writing poems. I decided to always make space for writing poetry in my life, and soon after I stumbled into the world of poetry slam. Poetry slam showed me a different side of poetry and also pushed me to improve my craft.
Can you describe the environment(s) where you wrote your book? This could be the
room, the desk, the city, an MFA program, a fellowship, or any other environmental factor
(you only wrote when it rained, you always wrote with fresh flowers in the room, etc.).
sipèstisyon was written in New England over the course of ten years. I began working on it in my mid-20s when I was living in New Hampshire. In my mid-30s, I moved to Massachusetts, where I started writing the 2nd half of the sipèstisyon. While many first drafts were generated at home or at local coffee shops, some of the collection’s most critical poems came from my time at writing retreats such as Callaloo, Cave Canem, and the Community of Writers. These retreats provided me with dedicated writing time in a new environment and deadlines for generating new work. Because of this constraint and the removal of my normal routine, I generated poems that I wouldn’t have in any other setting.
How did writing this book transform you?
What’s interesting is that I needed to be transformed before I could finish sipèstisyon. I resumed working on the collection in late 2022 after not touching it for about four years. I was still writing here and there, but I wasn’t sure if I wanted a book in the world anymore or if a life of art was even meant for me. It wasn’t until I started addressing my childhood trauma in therapy that I considered returning to sipèstisyon. After a particularly important therapy breakthrough, I wrote a poem called maybe generational trauma is a combat sport. Not long after, I read Kemi Alabi’s Against Heaven and Maya Marshall’s All the Blood Involved in Love, two very moving poetry collections. I was so inspired that I decided to finish sipèstisyon.
Community and friendship are sustaining factors for many writers. Give a shoutout to
some of the folks who have held and supported you in your writing life.
I adore too many people to list them all, but shout out to my blood and chosen family for supporting me throughout this writing journey. Also, shout out to the New England poetry slam community. Readings like the Slam Free or Die, Poets Asylum, and the Boston Poetry Slam were critical in my early development as a poet. Much love to my friends and collaborators at Lowell Poetry Wheel, Team Unpublished, and the Slam Free & Chai Workshop. It is a gift to have them in my life.
What are you currently reading?
I’m on a bit of an Octavia Butler kick right now. I recently read Wild Seed, and I just started Kindred. As a fan of sci-fi and fantasy, I’ve been really enjoying Octavia Butler’s work. In terms of poetry, I recently picked up Mermaid Theory by Maya Salameh, and so far it has been wonderful.
Mckendy Fils-Aimé is a New England based Haitian American poet, organizer, and teaching artist. He is the author of sipèstisyon (YesYes Books, 2026) and has received fellowships from Callaloo, Cave Canem, The Watering Hole, CantoMundo, and Periplus. Over the span of nearly two decades, Mckendy has represented New England in several regional and national poetry slams, performing on numerous semifinal and final stages. Mckendy’s work has been featured or is forthcoming in Best New Poets, Adroit, Muzzle, American Literary Review, the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day series, and elsewhere.
