kˈɜːn ɡɹˈædjuːˌeɪɾᵻd wɪð ɐn ˈeɪ.bˈiː. ɪn ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ fɹʌm pɹˈɪnstən jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi θɹˈiː ˈæftɚ kəmplˈiːɾɪŋ ɐ twˈɛnti tˈuːpˈeɪdʒlˈɔŋ sˈiːnjɚ θˈiːsɪs ɛntˈaɪɾəld "ɛntˈæŋɡəlɪŋ bɹˈɛθs pˈoʊᵻmz."
Kirn graduated with an A.B. in English from Princeton University in 1983 after completing a 22-page-long senior thesis entitled "Entangling Breaths (Poems)."