INTRODUCTION
As a former schoolteacher, I’ve always been interested in name “trends,” eyeing student rosters to find the rise of presidential names, speed-inspired names, jewel tones, a team of unwitting Iditarod racers—pulses of language moving briefly through pop culture. A seasoned Jennifer in a 70s sea of Jennifers, I never thought much of my name, like it was a placeholder for “all of us,” but in my forties, I saw it a little more freshly and wanted to explore the effects of the ultra-popularity, unique in its extremeness. The Jennifers weren’t just a name trend, but a tidal wave that rose higher in use than any other name, then declined more markedly than any other.* I’ve taught now for nearly thirty years and have had zero Jennifers in my classes, although…
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The American Poetry Review (Digital) - 1 Issue, March/April 2022