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MEET ANN KENNY
by Bonnie O'Brian

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

Ann Kenny

I liked being outside.  My father was in the Air Force and we moved every few years so I lived in several places as I grew up.  We often lived in the newer suburbs.  In one neighborhood, I had rolling hills up to my backyard, a creek at the end of my street and a large field behind the school across the street from our house.  The hills, the creeks, the open fields, the oak trees and bushes provided places for my imagination to grow.  My neighborhood friends and I rode horses on tree limbs, built tree houses in our own Sleepy Hollow, and waded the creek like Tom Sawyer. My favorite inside pastimes were reading and playing my violin.

What books influenced you when you were growing up?

I remember in 3rd and 4th grade reading biographies, especially ones about musicians such as Mozart and Beethoven (I had just begun to play the violin) or heroes such as Florence Nightingale.  I read series such as the Bobbsey Twins and Nancy Drew and classic titles like BLACK BEAUTY as well as stories by Charles Dickens, Mark Twain and Washington Irving.  Oh yes, I loved comic books, especially SUPERMAN!  I was also drawn to the “spooky and scary” stories in books and movies.  As I grew older I read collections of Alfred Hitchcock stories and Edgar Allen Poe stories.  In high school I discovered Ray Bradbury and J.D. Salinger.  A common thread running through my “favorites” was that each drew me into another world, whether by the characters or the mood created.  

Did you write stories when you were growing up?

I began writing down my ideas in elementary school.  Some became simple stories or poems.  In 6th grade I wrote a poem in the style of Poe, using an El Greco painting as inspiration.  This was published in an anthology of student works.  As an older child I had dreams of being a writer.  I think I have always wanted some way to express myself.

When you went to college were you already pursuing a writing career?

When I went to college I was pursuing a career either in psychology or as a social worker.  I majored in psychology because of my interest in understanding how human beings think and feel.  (I suppose that is actually what writing is about.)  But the funny thing is that the classes that made the most impression upon me were my literature classes.  

What was your first job when you graduated from college?

My first job was as a teacher.  I am still a teacher.  For many years now I have taught First Grade.  I revel in the challenges of teaching young children to read and write.  It is an exciting process to lead children to the joy of words and thus the discovery of an exciting world outside of themselves to which they can connect.  Through the years of teaching others’ children and raising my own two children I have written for myself, participated in writing groups, and studied writing.  Teaching is my profession—one that I love—and writing is my avocation. 

Was your first book accepted immediately, or did you experience a number of rejections?

I have a file of many, many rejections for my works.  However, my published book, NIGHT WALK, was accepted for consideration by Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc. and ultimately accepted after a final review process. Two of my poems were chosen and published by a local poetry group in the 1990s. 

What kinds of things inspire you to write?

Moments in time inspire me to write.  I suppose my writing tries to capture these moments or to create experiences that echo times that impressed me.  That is why poems, short stories and picture books appeal to me.  

Where do you get your ideas?

My ideas come from everyday happenings that for some reason resonate with me.  They may be in the present or in the past, but usually they are simple things in life.  

What gave you the idea for NIGHT WALK?

The idea for NIGHT WALK came from an evening walk with my daughter to Safeway.  After we came home from the store, I sat down to write a poem and capture the moment, tweaking the experience a bit.  For publishing, the poem became a short story for beginning readers.  One outcome I love about the final book is that the illustrator set the story in an urban neighborhood and my story was actually taking place in the suburbs.  But it worked in both places! 

What are you working on now?

I recently wrote a children’s book about a walk to the beach at night.  It was actually with a friend but I changed the characters and a bit of the scene.  I guess walks in the evening and night have a hold on me!