KEANmag
51
Adele Kenny ’70
explores the many facets of her life through poetry,
and in turn, the poetry and her unwavering belief in the human
spirit guide her on life’s journey. Inspiration may come from past
experiences, a single image or the work of a painter like Edward
Hopper or Pablo Picasso, but one constant is that she relishes each
experience, seeing it as an opportunity to grow, connect and share.
Her passion for poetry blossomed at the age of four, when her mother
taught her how to read and write while sick in bed with polio fever.
Although her mother had no formal training in poetry, the lessons
she learned in those early days stuck with her, serving as a strong
foundation for years to come.
“The process of writing poetry goes way back,” Kenny said. “It has
always been a source of healing.” Fast forward several decades,
through battles with multiple sclerosis, breast cancer, and several life-
shattering losses; after all of these challenges, Kenny is still pouring
her soul into written words.
“I can’t imagine life without writing. Even when I’m not actively
writing, there’s always a word or an image or a line in the process of
being created. For me, writing is my backcloth, a sustainable ‘place’
that is both redemptive and holy,” said Kenny who received the
Kean University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014. Most recently,
she was named a 2016 Paterson Poetry prize finalist for her book,
A
Lightness, a Thirst, or Nothing at All
.
Appointed in 2012 as the poet laureate of Fanwood, NJ, where she
has lived since 1974, Kenny is not only prolific in the poetry she writes
but also generous with her talent. She has written 24 books in total,
earning praise, awards, and honors including poetry fellowships from
the New Jersey State Arts Council, a Merton Poetry of the Sacred
Award, first place Merit Book and Henderson Awards, a Writer’s Digest
Poetry Award and the 2012 International Book Award for Poetry. In
2011 she was honored with a Women of Excellence Award (Union
County Commission on the Status of Women) for her achievements
and volunteer work in the arts and humanities.
But when asked what she is most proud of, Kenny says that instead of
being proud, she is grateful.
Throughout her career, which also included 20 years as public school
teacher in Rahway, Kenny has remained committed to honing her
talent and sharing what she learns with others. As the daughter of
a police officer, Kenny taught report writing at the John H. Stamler
Police Academy in Scotch Plains, NJ from 1999 to 2009. She has also
spent time running poetry workshops at a local correctional facility,
weekly poetry/writing therapy sessions for handicapped children
and adults at Children’s Specialized Hospital in Mountainside, NJ, and
serving as a judge for numerous poetry competitions.
Kenny is a dichotomy of courage and untainted optimism, and so,
when asked what scares her most, she struggled to find a definitive
answer. Instead, her response focused less on the idea of fear, and
more on how one reacts to it; “What matters is how we define and
clarify our fears, and how we live with - or around - them.”
Kenny has embraced each hardship in her life with grace and
compassion, gleaning what she could from each experience with
anticipation instead of expectation. It is perhaps this persona which
led fellow writer, and former Kean professor, Dr. Charles DeFanti to
describe Kenny’s poetry as a reflection of the author - “luminous” and
a blend of “joy, wit and affirmation.”
Adele
Kenny
“...– something of each of us always
here, our voices almost heard though all the scattered
distances we make. Remember, remember …all that
was given and what we took away: how it felt to be
that young, that unaware of what life is or where it
goes, to be that safe—here—where becoming begins.”
- excerpt from
It Was Here
, a poem Kenny wrote for Kean when
she accepted her Distinguished Alumni Award in 2014
