JENNIFER LONDRY
Complete CV
Jennifer Londry is the author of three books of poetry: Tatterdemalion, (Chaudiere Books, 2015). Life and Death in Cheap Motels, which was adapted for stage, and After the Words, which was nominated for a Saskatchewan Book Award. A featured reader at the 2009 Kingston Writers’ Festival and at the 2011 Sweetwater 905 in Northern BC, she has also facilitated and organized a literary event for Alzheimer’s Awareness. Jen has taught creative writing and has also been a judge for Words from the Street, a creative writing competition, in association with The Toronto Writers’ Collective. She is also a contributor to the anthologies: A Crystal through which Love Passes, Glosas for P.K. Page (Buschek Books, 2013), Where the nights Are twice As long, Love Letters of Canadian Poets, (Goose Lane Editions, 2015). A suite of Jen’s poems was also featured in the play, WASTE/away produced by the Chipped Off Performance Collective in association with Queen’s University Drama Department (2015). Jen also collaborated with documentary filmmaker / journalist Sarah Turnbull, to produce the mental health video, Chemical Imbalance. In 2018 one of Jen’s short stories was longlisted for the Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest. Jennifer is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada.
BOOKS
Tatterdemalion, (poetry: Chaudiere Books, Ottawa, ON, 2015) ISBN-13: 978-1928107057
After the Words (poetry: Hagios Press, Regina, SK, 2010) ISBN-13: 978-1926710037
Life and Death in Cheap Motels, co-author R.D. Roy (poetry: Hidden Brook Press, Kingston, ON, 2009) ISBN 978-1-894553-31-7
Discussion topics may include (depending on the work and the venue) the following:
“Without my Consent, the complete and utter Breakdown of Ethical Society as we know it.” How the world of war is the catalyst to our collective lost hope. The Human Rights Abuses at Prison For Women, in Kingston, Ontario in the 1960s. Secret experiments with LSD as seen through the eyes of members of The Elizabeth Fry Society.
Dollhouse Crimes, literary fiction
(not yet in print)
“Avarice, Vanity & Insanity, an ode to friendship, writing, and honouring our dead.” How access to affordable funerals was denied to many average citizens seeking to bury their dead in the 1900s. Our obsession with “Now” and “Cancel-culture” as a way of shaming. And the exploration of the first confessional poet Anne Sexton [1960s], and how she paved the way for what would become a forum for Whistleblowers worldwide.
Tatterdemalion, poetry
Available at Novel Idea Bookstore /Chapters Indigo /Amazon.ca / Invisible Publishing
“The Systemic failings of the Canadian Government.” What really goes on in long-term-care settings? People battling Alzheimer's and dementia cannot advocate for themselves, and therefore it is up to us collectively to ensure that every resident has access to a safe and caring environment. I will talk about my journey with my mum who had Alzheimer’s, and what I believe is needed in order to offer compassionate assistance to those with dwindling health, and high health care needs.
After the Words, poetry
Available at Novel Idea Bookstore /Chapters Indigo /Amazon.ca / Radiant Press
Midnight and all the pill bottles at the pharmacy are empty. On the bedside table not even a sliver of ice remains in the glass. The rent money for this shit motel room is long gone too. Nothing left to do today, except die. This might sound like a harsh depiction, but it is the reality for some individuals moving through life. People who have given up because society has given up on them.
Life & Death in Cheap Motels, poetry (co-author RD Roy) ISBN 978-1-894553-31-7
