A former writing and literature instructor at Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College and Central Michigan University, Jesse now serves as Senior Success Advisor at Northern Michigan University. His poetry and writing have appeared in regional anthologies, magazines, and newspapers, including Brief Perversions and the Superior Voyage Anthology. Koenig emphasizes poetry as an oral art and has performed throughout the Upper Peninsula and on radio. Active in writing communities for more than 30 years, his role as Upper Peninsula Poet Laureate focuses on fostering connections among Upper Peninsula writers, poets, and literary communities.