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Author Archives: jpkenna
Tom Robbins and I
No, Tom Robbins, who died a year ago come February 9th, was not a friend. Or even a casual acquaintance. Though for a few years it seems like our paths crossed obliquely in the picture-perfect town of La Conner, Washington. … Continue reading
Posted in farming, history, marriage, rural life, social criticism, Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., La Conner. Skagit Delta, Swinomish Slough, Rainbow Bridge, bookstores,, Washington State Ferries, writing
Tagged creative-writing, La Conner WA, Seaport Bookstore, Tom Robbins, writers, writing, writing fiction
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An Imaginary (but not unlikely) Fathers’ Day Conversation with my Daughter
SHE: Happy Fathers’ Day! And I see your new book is on a free promotion–for five days. On Kindle. ME: A chance to save $2.99. People should be beating down Amazon’s door! Here I am, hoping people take the bait, … Continue reading
Posted in love, marriage, nostalgia, rural life, writing
Tagged draft horses, Luddites, South Fork Valley-Washington, steam locomotives
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A Baby Boy and a Ferryboat
Our son, Joseph Patrick Kenna, would’ve been 43 years old tomorrow, April 3rd. In summer of 1978, my wife, Victoria, and I bought a house in the Puget Sound waterfront town of Anacortes. We were 33 years old. I’d been … Continue reading
The Humble Spike Maul
As a day to celebrate, Saint Patrick’s Day is filled with images that are simultaneously hackneyed and cherished. The leprechaun, the green top hat, the harp–and then there’s the shamrock. Here on the west side of the Atlantic, most of … Continue reading
Posted in history, Ireland, labor, nostalgia, railroad construction, railroading, social criticism, writing
Tagged gandy-dancers, hand tools, track work
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Make a Living at Writing?
There’s money to be made in writing fiction. But not necessarily by those doing the actual writing. As the number of books being churned out in this age of self-publishing has increased astronomically, the odds of making a living wage … Continue reading
Posted in Amazon KDP, Christmas, farming, nostalgia, self-publishing, social criticism, Tom Robbins, Kurt Vonnegut Jr., La Conner. Skagit Delta, Swinomish Slough, Rainbow Bridge, bookstores,, Washington State Ferries, writing
Tagged book marketing, editorial services, hybrid publishers, KDP, legacy publishers, literary agents, Maxwell Perkins, word processing
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A Valley’s Loss of Innocence
When my wife and two young daughters and I moved into valley of the South Fork of the Nooksack River in the early 80s, we thought we’d bought into a little slice of heaven. This was rural Western Washington state … Continue reading
Nothing Sacred?
It’s summer, down the shore, in 1948, which would make me three years old. If there’s an east wind, aka sea breeze, you can hear the ocean murmuring half a block away, through the back screen door. It’s morning, … Continue reading
Posted in history, nostalgia, social criticism, writing
Tagged Amazon, Boeing, grocery delivery, hot cereal, Jersey Shore, Merck, Rahway N.J., Regina Corporation, robots, shopping, Wheatena
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Wallace Stegner and Joe Hill–Was He Guilty?
On November 19th, 104 years ago, Joe Hill was executed by the State of Utah. The young itinerant laborer was born Joel Emmanuel Hagglund in 1879. After emigrating from Sweden to the United States he took the name Joseph Hillstrom, … Continue reading
Mill Town Under Siege: Everett, Washington–1916 (Part Three)
Sunday, November 5, 1916 The Seattle office of the I.W.W. has charted a steamboat to take as many men who could fit aboard up to a citizens’ meeting in Everett. The purpose of the community meeting is to discuss the … Continue reading
J.P. Kenna 