Penn Kemp Explained

Penn Kemp
Birth Name:Patricia Penn Anne Kemp
Birth Place:Strathroy, Ontario
Occupation:Poet and playwright
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Years Active:1972—pres.

Patricia Penn Anne Kemp (born 1944), better known simply as Penn Kemp, is a Canadian poet, novelist, playwright, and sound poet who lives in London, Ontario.[1] Kemp has been publishing her writing since 1972 and was London's first poet laureate, serving since 2010 to 2013.

Early life and education

Kemp was born on August 4, 1944, in Strathroy, Ontario, to parents Anne Kemp and James "Jim" Kemp. She was raised in the nearby city of London.[2] Her father was an advertising and publicity executive at London Life, painter, and war artist.[3] [4] [5] Penn says she wrote her first poem when she was six years old.[6]

She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and literature from the University of Western Ontario in 1966 and received certification as a teacher in 1968.[7] In 1988 she received an Ontario Graduate Scholarship to complete a Masters of Education degree at the University of Toronto.

Career

Kemp taught high school English in Timmins and North York, Toronto for several years.

Kemp's first book, Bearing Down, was published by Coach House in 1972. In 1973, it was performed as a radio show for four voices in Seattle. In 1984, Kemp was writer in residence for Niagara Erie Writers in New York State; for the Labrador School Board in 1986; for Flesherton Library in 1988 and '89; and at SNDT Women's University in Mumbai in 1995. In 1994, Kemp's play, What the Ear Hears Last, was produced by Theatre Passe Muraille in Toronto and, in the same year, she was featured on the CBC Radio show, "Sounding Off." In 1995 the Indian Institute of Canadian studies sponsored her tour of Mumbai colleges and universities.

She was London's inaugural Poet Laureate,[8] serving from 2010 to 2013[9] and University of Western Ontario's Writer-in-Residence (2009-2010).[10] Kemp runs Pendas Productions.

In 2021, Kemp was commissioned by Brescia University College to deliver their inaugural Women's Day Poem. During the university's fourth annual Dr. Colleen Hanycz Leadership Lecture, Kemp performed her poem "Choose to Challenge" as a riff on the theme, "Choose To Challenge: Finding Common Ground Through Dialogue."[11]

Personal life

Kemp's left London, Ontario after graduating from Western University. She returned in 2001 and her mother had a stroke.[12] She now lives in London and considers it her home.[13] Her husband, Gavin Stairs, developed vascular dementia[14] and died in fall 2021.[15]

Works

Theater

Individual poems

Poetry collections

Recordings

As editor

Other works

Awards

In 2012, Kemp was awarded the League of Canadian Poets’ Life Membership Award. Kemp received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013 for her service to the arts.[32] [33] In 2015, the League of Canadian Poets awarded Kemp the Sheri-D Wilson Golden Beret Award, which honoured her as a spoken-word poet.[34]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Penn Kemp: Biography. 2000. Canadian Poetry Online. University of Toronto Libraries. 18 December 2010.
  2. Web site: Haas . Kelsey . 2018 . Western Archives Finding Aid for Penn Kemp fonds . 2022-08-22 . Western University.
  3. News: Brown . Dan . 2022-01-28 . Tony Urquhart left indelible mark on London's art scene . London Free Press . 2022-08-21.
  4. Curnoe . Lynda . December 2022 . Review: George the Purple Spotted Horse: A Graphic Tale . Pouch Cove . 8 . 2 . 9 . . ProQuest.
  5. News: Belanger . Joe . 2018-05-01 . Poet celebrates London's cultural heroes in new book . London Free Press . 2022-08-22.
  6. Web site: Mockler . Kathryn . 2012-07-28 . Penn Kemp: Performance Poet, Activist, and Playwright . 2022-08-22 . The Rusty Toque . en.
  7. Web site: Winders . Jason . 2016-07-19 . Cull named Poet Laureate for London . 2022-08-22 . Western News . en-CA.
  8. News: Belanger . Joe . 2020-04-11 . It's time to embrace London's poet laureate, Penn Kemp, and all artists . London Free Press . 2022-08-22.
  9. News: Introducing London's First Poet Laureate: Penn Kemp. Jennifer Sproul. The Londoner. October 2010. 18 December 2010.
  10. News: Former Writers-in-Residence. 1 July 2021.
  11. News: Belanger . Joe . 2021-03-05 . London poet Penn Kemp marks Women's Day with call to action . London Free Press . 2022-08-22.
  12. News: Montanini . Chris . 2021-04-27 . Latest work from poet Penn Kemp published by Stratford micropress Beliveau Books . 2022-08-22 . The Londoner . en-CA.
  13. Web site: Buechler . Steven . 2016-08-21 . "What made me a poet? Curiosity. The thrill of adventure, of new worlds." Q&A with poet Penn Kemp . 2022-08-22 . The Library of Pacific Tranquility . en.
  14. News: Belanger . Joe . 2021-09-03 . Our poet laureate's financial plight, and a call to help . London Free Press . 2022-08-22.
  15. Web site: PENN KEMP . 2022-08-22 . PENN KEMP . en.
  16. Web site: Meyer . Sean . 2013-08-29 . Former poet laureate gives insight into Eldon House history . 2022-08-22 . InsideHalton.com . en-CA.
  17. von Flotow . Luise . 2006 . Feminism in Translation: the Canadian Factor . Quaderns. Revista de traducció . 13.
  18. News: Montanini . Chris . 2016-10-28 . Penn Kemp as barbarian . The Londoner . 2022-08-21.
  19. Web site: deRango Adem . Adebe . 2016-12-06 . Review: Barbaric Cultural Practice . 2022-08-22 . Quill and Quire . en.
  20. News: Lederman . Marsha . 2021-01-22 . Independent publisher Insomniac Press cancels 12 book deals . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2022-08-22.
  21. News: Belanger . Joe . 2019-10-30 . London poet helps explore identity at Wordsfest . London Free Press . 2022-08-22.
  22. Chan . Sunny . 2019 . Rewilding Poetry . Canadian Literature . 238 . 151, 183 . . ProQuest.
  23. Web site: Howell . Stevie . 2018-11-22 . Review: Fox Haunts . 2022-08-22 . Quill and Quire . en.
  24. Web site: Wenn . Jennifer . 2022-06-26 . P.S. by Penn Kemp and Sharon Thesen . 2022-08-22 . The Miramichi Reader . en-US.
  25. Web site: Fretwell . Katerina . Review: A Near Memoir: New Poems by Penn Kemp . 2022-08-22 . League of Canadian Poets . en-US.
  26. News: Belanger . Joe . 2021-05-01 . Poet Penn Kemp celebrates growing up in London in new book of verse . London Free Press . 2022-08-21.
  27. Stioski . Richard-Yves . Summer 2021 . Memoria Tenere: Penn Kemp's A Near Memoir: New Poems . Sage-ing . 37 . 25–27.
  28. News: Belanger . Joe . 2013-05-20 . London launch of the book, Jack Layton: Art in Action, edited with contributions by Londoner Penn Kemp and published by Quattro Books Inc. of Toronto . . 2022-08-21.
  29. News: 2016-06-15 . JACK LAYTON: ART IN ACTION . London Free Press . 2022-08-21.
  30. News: Belanger . Joe . 2016-11-23 . Literary events feature poems, wartime letters . Calgary Herald . 2022-08-22.
  31. News: Lederman . Marsha . 2022-06-17 . Ukrainian art in Canada reflects the war and our responses to it . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2022-08-22.
  32. Web site: Robertson . Becky . 2015-04-01 . League of Canadian Poets 2015 awards finalists revealed . 2022-08-22 . Quill and Quire . en.
  33. News: 2013-10-30 . And the winners are . . . . London Free Press . 2022-08-21.
  34. Web site: Tobias . Conan . 2015-06-03 . League of Canadian Poets announces annual award winners . 2022-08-22 . Quill and Quire . en.

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