Eric McHenry

Eric McHenry is a poet and critic whose work has appeared in The Yale Review, The New Republic, The New York Times Book Review, and The Threepenny Review. He teaches creative writing at Washburn University and is a former poet laureate of Kansas.

Bubble Girl

The kidnapping that once riveted the nation

By Eric McHenry | Thursday May 23, 2024

Queen of the Castle

Looking for Mama Lou, the legendary singer whose work helped inspire American ragtime

By Eric McHenry | Wednesday September 6, 2023

The Bully in the Ballad

Was Mississippi John Hurt really the first person to sing the tragic tale of Louis Collins?

By Eric McHenry | Thursday December 15, 2022

The Baddest Man in Town

On the trail of a historical figure immortalized in African-American folklore

By Eric McHenry | Saturday March 13, 2021

The Annotated “Stacka Lee”

Comments on the famous murder ballad’s oldest known lyrics

By Eric McHenry | Saturday March 13, 2021

Bubble Girl

By Eric McHenry | Thursday May 23, 2024

Queen of the Castle

By Eric McHenry | Wednesday September 6, 2023

The Bully in the Ballad

By Eric McHenry | Thursday December 15, 2022

The Baddest Man in Town

By Eric McHenry | Saturday March 13, 2021

The Annotated “Stacka Lee”

By Eric McHenry | Saturday March 13, 2021

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