World Storytelling Day - Monkey and the Five Pillars video

We held a virtual tellaround on the Storytelling Alberta facebook page to celebrate World Storytelling day this year. Here is a link to my video of me telling the story 'Monkey and the Five Pillars':

https://www.facebook.com/StorytellingAlberta/videos/1390416794483535/

For more about Monkey, check out the classic book by Wu Ch'eng-en or one of the many adaptations. I am partial to the TV series I used to watch as a kid. (Full of 70s wackiness!) Here is a link to the theme song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-SUoHmpRdM

Much love and gratitude to all those across the Pacific who are leading the way.

Another Poem (for Winter)

I was going through some of my old scribble files looking for something with a summer theme, and found a rather sweet little thing on the opposite topic that I'd forgotten about. Thought I would share:

The sun that shines in winter

Is the most welcome sun of all,

It makes the snowdrifts glitter,

It makes my house feel small.

For when I stand in sunlight

With the sky so wide above,

My heart that was curled up tight

Opens itself to joy and love.

A little poem for 2020

When we stop respecting those who make the messes

More than those who clean them up

No one will be afraid to go barefoot

Because the shards of arrogance

Will have been patiently gathered

And melted into lenses of clear vision.

Freedom to Leave

One of the things we expect as a matter of course in a democratic country like Canada is the freedom to leave. There are some exceptions, such as minor children without parental permission, or people under police investigation, but generally speaking if I wish to travel or emigrate to another country, I don't have to worry about asking permission from the Canadian government. That is the sort of thing that happens in authoritarian countries. It is the sort of thing which happened under the Nazis in Europe. (I recently went to a talk by a survivor who spoke about it being illegal for Jews to leave occupied Belgium or France.) Trump is demanding that Central American countries adopt authoritarian policies. What happened to supporting freedom and democracy?

Women in Horror Month

I have written a guest blog post for Colleen Anderson's Women in Horror Month series. She will be putting up a new post by a different guest each day.

colleenanderson.wordpress.com/2019/02/01/women-in-horror-jennifer-kennedy

Poem Online: Cleft

Wax Poetry and Art has published a poem of mine, which won first place in their Canada Poetry Contest: http://waxpoetryart.com/canada/2018/kennedy.html

You can read the poetry on the site for free: the link that says 'Click here to See All New Published Work' is a good place to start. If you find something you really like you can order a printed copy of it.

Upcoming Events

I have a few things coming up in the next month or so.

This Friday, April 13th, my storytelling group is holding our annual concert. In honour of the date, we have a theme of 'Oh, So Unlucky', and we are trying out a new venue: Common Grounds Cafe. Registration is though the library:
http://engagedpatrons.org/EventsExtended.cfm?SiteID=2270&EventID=331810&PK=

I am also busy rehearsing for a show with St. Albert Dinner Theatre. They will be running two one-act comedies on Thurs/Fri/Sat from April 26 until May 12. I am in 'A Mad Breakfast' which is a madcap farce set in a boarding house c. 1930.
Details on that are at: http://www.stalberttheatre.com

And, as usual, Magpie Morris Dancers will be dancing at dawn on May 1st at the gazebo in Old Strathcona. We've also been invited to a couple of events later in May.