Len Jenkin (born April 2, 1941) is an American playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and theatrical director. He has won three Obie Awards, including two for writing and directing his 1980 play ''Limbo Tales''.
Born in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
, Jenkin attended
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...
. He has also participated in the theatre lab at the
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers fr ...
. Jenkin has influenced fellow playwright
Mac Wellman
Mac Wellman, born John McDowell Wellman on March 7, 1945, in Cleveland, Ohio, is an American playwright, author, and poet.
In addition to his Obie Awards, Jenkin has been awarded a
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...
and won the
Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The second-oldest major philanthropic institution in America, after the Ca ...
Award. He has been nominated for an
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
and four
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created in 1965 as an independent agency of the federa ...
fellowships.
As a writer for television, Jenkin has produced scripts for ''
Family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
'', ''
The Incredible Hulk
The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of '' The Incredible Hulk'' (May 1962). In his comic book ...
'', and ''
ABC Afterschool Special
''ABC Afterschool Special'' is an American television anthology series that aired on ABC from October 4, 1972, to January 23, 1997, usually in the late afternoon on weekdays. Most episodes were dramatically presented situations, often controve ...
''. His novels include ''
New Jerusalem
In the Book of Ezekiel in the Hebrew Bible, New Jerusalem (, ''YHWH šāmmā'', YHWH sthere") is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city centered on the rebuilt Holy Temple, the Third Temple, to be established in Jerusalem, which would be the ...
'' (also a play) and ''The Secret Life of Billy's Uncle Myron''. The latter was written with his daughter Emily Jenkins, better known as the novelist
E. Lockhart
Emily Jenkins (born September 13, 1967), who sometimes uses the pen name E. Lockhart, is an American writer of children's picture books, young-adult novels, and adult fiction. She is known best for the Ruby Oliver quartet (which begins with ...
.
Plays
* ''Kitty Hawk'' (1972)
* ''Gogol: A Mystery Play'' with Mac Wellman (1976)
* ''The Death and Life of Jesse James'' (1978)
* ''Limbo Tales'' (1980)
* ''Five of Us'' (1981)
* ''Dark Ride'' (1982)
* ''My Uncle Sam'' (1983)
* ''Poor Folks' Pleasure'' (1987)
* ''Pilgrims of the Night'' (1991)
* ''Careless Love'' (1993)
* ''Ramona Quimby'' (1994)
* ''Like I Say'' (2003)
* ''Margo Veil'' (2008)
* ''The Dream Express'' (2009)