Sean Kennerly will release his debut novel, Memoir of a Hyena, on July 22 through Some People Press.
The novel, according to a statement, tells the story of a marginalised spotted hyena navigating his clan’s political upheavals across the Tanzanian steppe. Illustrated by artists Johanna Jackson and Chris Johanson, the story follows a young hyena living in the shadow of his sister’s rise to power within their clan. Cast out by his own family and caught up in internal power struggles, he journeys across Tanzania in search of meaning, arriving at a fragile hope that may ultimately be turned against him.
Kennerly, a Brooklyn-based writer and musician who is a former Rolling Stone fact-checker and SF Bay Guardian journalist, and who also performs with the bands Samiam and Ice Balloons, said he wanted to portray hyena society as biologically accurate as possible. His interest in the animals began during college, after he encountered an outdoor hyena research enclosure and posed as a Nature Magazine writer to gain closer access. He drew on Hans Kruuk’s study The Spotted Hyena: A Study of Predation and Social Behavior in shaping the novel’s depiction of hyena life.
The book draws on research overturning long-held misconceptions about spotted hyenas, which were historically believed to be hermaphroditic due to the similarity of male and female genitalia. Females are in fact slightly larger and more powerful than males and typically lead their clans. Hyenas communicate through a wide range of vocalisations and complex social behaviour and are considered comparable in intelligence to chimpanzees. Although often characterised as scavengers, they are proficient hunters that largely operate under cover of darkness.
Illustrator Johanna Jackson has exhibited at MOCA Los Angeles and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, while Chris Johanson’s work has featured in the Whitney Biennial and SF MOMA. Kennerly holds a BA in English from UC Berkeley and has previously worked as a touring musician and carpenter.
A release event is scheduled for July 22 from 6pm to 9pm at The P.I.T. in Brooklyn, featuring readings from Kennerly, writer Hallie Elizabeth Newton and filmmaker Rob Bryn, alongside a musical performance from Dread.