[06 Nov 2009|07:45am] I won an honourable mention in a Poetry Contest held by the Ontario Poetry Society post comment

[26 Oct 2009|05:42pm] My story on coops in the Philippines was reprinted in The Saskatoon Star Phoenix. You can read the article here . Please note that I live in Edmonton now, and not Grande Prairie. 1 comment|post comment

Quill and Quire [20 Oct 2009|07:57am] I have a review in the November issue of Quill and Quire- You can read it here post comment

Random acts of poetry [08 Oct 2009|04:17pm] This week, I have been participating in a national campaign called Random Acts of Poetry . Thirty one poets across Canada are participating in the program, which is sponsored by READ Victoria and is designed to encourage literacy and foster love of poetry. So as part of this campaign, I am distributing poetry books to random people. I go up to random people, read them a poem and then give them a book. (In case you are concerned, all the poets are financially compensated and the program buys 50 books for us to distribute). Since it is a literacy program, participants are supposed to make visits in ESL and adult literacy classrooms. I will be going to read some poems and do some writing exercises with students at Grant MacEwan university tomorrow. I have performed about 20 random acts of poetry so far. I started doing it in Vancouver and have since been doing it in my neighbourhood here in Edmonton. I was very nervous to approach people, and many people are surprised when they are approached, so I tell them that they don't have to buy anything from me, and then go into my spiel. I think people enjoy the random acts of poetry because it makes them feel special. I've had some interesting discussions with people. I got into one discussion with a woman who was of mixed ancestry. Some people are very thankful and honoured to be chosen. Many people worry about the financial consequences of the endeavour. One woman asked me if she could make a donation to me. (I refused it.) One student and his friend were quite enthused and had me sit down at their cafe table so they could enjoy the reading. Then the recipient of the book gave me a hug :) I also made one woman cry because she was so incredibly moved by the poem. It was a very powerful experience. All in all, it's been a very fruitful experience. I've used it as a way to reach out to places in my community and have performed random acts of poetry at my local video store and at some of my favourite stores in my neighbourhood. (cross-posted to my blog) 1 comment|post comment

Good news! [31 Aug 2009|03:24pm] My book "She dreams in red" has just gone into its second printing. post comment

[31 Aug 2009|11:08am] My short story "Buried" appears in the August 2009 issue of Notebook magazine post comment

I'm performing at the launch for the 10th issue of Notebook magazine [24 Aug 2009|09:31am] On Friday, August 28th, Notebook Presents the release of Great Northern Revival: Notes from the Edmonton Underground Vol. 1 and Notebook Magazine issue #10. Great Northern Revival is a compilation CD of Edmonton acts that is the brain child of local musician Scott Cook and Steven Teeuwsen of Notebook Magazine. The compilation features 19 different Edmonton bands and will help draw attention to the scope and variety of great original music coming out of Edmonton now. Notebook Magazine is a quarterly periodical featuring the work of Edmontonians. Notebook publishes work by local visual artists and poets, in an attempt to foster interest in the arts in Edmonton and connections among local artists. Issue #10 of Notebook features over 50 different artists, writers and curators based in Edmonton. The release party will be a showcase of everything Notebook and Great Northern Revival are all about. Three poets from the current issue of Notebook will open the night, four musical acts featured on the first Great Northern Revival will be performing, and all of it will be surrounded by an art show of ten visual artists from the magazine. All this and cover is only $3. Copies of Notebook and Great Northern Revival will be available at the party. Friday, August 28 Doors at 8pm The ARTery - 9535 Jasper Ave Cover: $3 Poetry: Ronald Kurt, Alexis Kienlen and Erika Luckert Music: Feature (tweener) sets from Scott Cook and Jesse Dee & Jacquie B. Full sets from the Secretaries and the Jay Gilday Band. post comment

Stuff and things... [14 Aug 2009|07:09pm] Things look pretty quite around here, but looks can be deceiving. I've been madly working on a new poetry manuscript for the past few months. I've performed at The Edmonton Poetry Festival and an open mike night at the ARTery. I've done a book review for Alberta Views and contributed to the Best of Edmonton Issue for Vue Weekly . This week, I'm reviewing Fringe plays for Vue Weekly, and having an absolute blast. I have signed on to mentor the Writers Guild of Alberta teen writing group for another year. This year we will be producing a chapbook, and I'm already in talks with a local designer who is to create it for us. So all is well over at the ranch. 1 comment|post comment

[25 Mar 2009|06:12pm] Pick up the March/April issue of Quill and Quire for a book review by yours truly. 1 comment|post comment

[24 Feb 2009|08:39am] Last night I did a very short, but very sweet reading at The Poet's Haven held at the Upper Crust Cafe. The evening was hosted by a group known as the Stroll of Poets post comment

Things may look quiet around here..... [17 Feb 2009|08:31am] But you know that's never the case. I'm travelling to the Step it Up Farmer's market conference in Red Deer, February 18, to perform in The Power of the Land post comment

[19 Dec 2008|12:14pm] Roughing it in the Books and our Canadareads challenge gets written up on the CBC. 1 comment|post comment

New project [15 Dec 2008|01:30pm] I've got a new project in the works with my friend Melanie. We have started a reading/blogging project and are reading all the books in the New Canadian Library. Go to Roughing it in the books to learn more about our project. post comment

My new gig as a teen writing mentor.... [29 Oct 2008|05:30pm] I'm going to be the facilitator for a teen writing group in Edmonton for teens 15-19 years old! The group is a pilot project in Edmonton, hosted by the Writers Guild of Alberta. The WGA successfully ran a similar project in Calgary and this is the first time it's going to be tried in Edmonton. The purpose of this group is to unite teens interested in pursing the craft of writing; to provide a fun, friendly, safe and structured environment for participants to receive constructive feedback on their writing, involve themselves in literary discussion, take part in writing-on-site projects, and engage with like-minded young writers. The group will meet on a monthly basis, with the first meeting to take place on Sunday, November 23, 2008. I'm really excited about this, as I really love teens and YA writing. I also have strong feelings about youth mentorship programs, since the youth mentorship programs I did at the Saskatoon Public Library and with the Saskatchewan Writers Guild were fundamental to my development as a writer. I'm really looking forward to this. If you know any teens who would be interested in joining such a group, please tell them to email me at alexiskienlen@hotmail.com Thank you to Kelsey Everton for asking me to be the mentor for this cool new project! 1 comment|post comment

Since arriving in Edmonton... [24 Sep 2008|10:16pm] I've actually done a few literary things since moving to my new city. I did two readings at the Edmonton Poetry Festival , and have started writing for Vue Weekly , an alternative newspaper in town. Here's a review I wrote of two new fall books The Gargoyle and The Killing Circle post comment

[18 Aug 2008|05:12pm] My story on the Association of Differently Abled Peoples Multipurpose Cooperative in Iloilo City appears in the latest issue of Abilities magazine . It's not available online, but you should be able to find "Abilites" at your local library or bookstore. 2 comments|post comment

[23 Jul 2008|09:59am] My story on my unfortunate addiction to Jon and Kate plus 8 is up on Pop Vultures post comment

[22 Jun 2008|01:31pm] I'm a featured contributor in the July/August 2008 issue of Alberta views . My story "Heart of the Peace Country" appears on Page 10. 1 comment|post comment

My new job [22 Jun 2008|01:30pm] I'm moving (again). I will be leaving Grande Prairie at the end of July to move to Edmonton. In Edmonton, I will be working for "Alberta Farmer Express", covering agriculture for Edmonton and the surrounding counties. "Alberta Farmer Express" is a provincial bi-weekly newspaper that goes throughout rural Alberta. I'll be working out of a home office, and am allowed to freelance as I see fit. I'm really excited about my new position, but will miss the people of Grande Prairie and my job here. Still, I'm looking forward to being in a larger centre, and being closer to my parents, who are still in Saskatoon. My decision to take this job is also part of a decision to start specializing in agriculture. There are few agricultural reporters, and I foresee a lot of demand for good reporting on the topic, as the food crisis and food issues continue to grow and develop. I'm really excited about the possibility of combining a knowledge in agriculture with my background in international development. In order to improve my knowledge, I'll be enrolling in a distance education course on Food security hosted at Ryerson University. 2 comments|post comment

School visits! [11 May 2008|07:34pm] This Tuesday, I'll be a guest speaker to two Grade 6 classes at Avondale school in Grande Prairie. My friend James, who is an old friend from Saskatoon, is a Grade 6 teacher at the school, and he asked me to come in to visit the kids and do some activities with them for their poetry unit. I really love visiting with school classes. I usually read some work, and then answer lots of questions from the kids. Part of the reason why I love doing these visits is because I remember how important they were for me. I absolutely loved it when authors came to visit me in school, because I wanted to be a writer more than anything and was always ready and willing to soak up any information I could about the profession. I hope that my visits help encourage the closet writers in the classroom. I like to tell kids that it's okay to love books, words and writing. :) 1 comment|post comment

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