Jean Kay

Jean Kay was born in England and moved to Canada as a girl of 10. Edmonton, Alberta was her first Canadian home, then Prince George, Fort St. James, Ladner, Vancouver, Steveston and now Tsawwassen, all in British Columbia. She has always been able to express her thoughts and feelings by writing, and often in the form of poetry. Jean has dedicated the first half hour of every day since August 1993 to writing, before she eats, drinks or speaks. Jean first uses three oil pastels to express with colour in an artist sketchbook, next she writes a statement beginning with the words “I am” and then picks up her pen and begins to write on the opposite page. Her ability to do that still amazes her. Jean took early retirement, in October 2000, from her career as Sales Events Coordinator for Canadian Airlines. She is now in re-fire-ment, a word Jean coined to describe her life as a poet, meaning “all systems go”. Jean self-published her first book of poetry in 1999 titled In the Early Morning Light. In 2004 Jean’s book of 121 inspirational poems titled Morning Light was published. Her next adventure was teaching computer on cruise ships for 2 ½ years where she visited some wonderful places. Basic windows and email, Word, Excel, digital download and four classes in Photoshop Elements were the classes she taught as a volunteer with High Seas Computer Services. “Teaching passengers how to fix up their photos was a wonderful experience. I also really enjoyed teaching, mostly seniors, how to keep in touch with their families by sending emails. That was very rewarding.” Jean’s company is J K Creations, and she specializes in creating poems on request for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, memorials, etc. Jean’s books, framed poems, bookmarks and prayer cards are sold at craft fairs or from her home studio. Jean has had poems published in several anthologies, is a regular contributor to newsletters, has had articles published in magazines, and her laminated prayer cards are in many readers wallets. She is a professional member of Canadian Authors-Vancouver and is treasurer, short story contest coordinator and did the layout, design and compilation of their first two anthologies. Jean is a member of World Poetry and The Ontario Poetry Society, and recites her poems at several local events. She also enjoys singing as a member of Elder College Singers, and volunteering at the KinVillage Community Center. Jean has two adult sons, two daughters in law, three stepchildren, an adorable cat and treasures her role as a Granny. She and Jerry reside in Delta, BC.