Richard Jerome Kennedy (born December 23, 1932, in

Jefferson City, Missouri Jefferson City, informally Jeff City, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Missouri. It had a population of 43,228 at the 2020 United States census, ranking as the List of cities in Missouri, 16th most popu ...

), is an American writer of

children's books A child () is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The term may also refer to an unborn human being. In English-speaking countries, the legal definition of ''chi ...

and a supporter of the

Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship The Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship contends that Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, Shakespeare authorship question, wrote the plays and poems of William Shakespeare. While historians and literary scholars overwhelmingly reject L ...

. He was the first to suggest that

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

was the author of the 578-line poem '' A Funeral Elegy'' which in 1995 had been touted by Donald Foster as being written by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Life

Kennedy attended

Portland State University Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the next ...

, where he graduated with a B.A. in

liberal arts Liberal arts education () is a traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term ''skill, art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically the fine arts. ''Liberal arts education'' can refe ...

in 1958. He additionally earned a teaching certificate in

elementary education Primary education is the first stage of formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle schools, de ...

from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a Public university, public research university in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1876, the university is organized into nine colleges and schools and offers 420 undergraduate and gra ...

. However, he found teaching elementary school unsatisfactory, so he tried other jobs, including bookstore owner, deep sea fisherman, moss picker, custodian, cab-driver, and

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can cons ...

, before turning to writing.

Shakespeare authorship question

Kennedy has been a long-time advocate of the

theory A theory is a systematic and rational form of abstract thinking about a phenomenon, or the conclusions derived from such thinking. It involves contemplative and logical reasoning, often supported by processes such as observation, experimentation, ...

that

Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (; 12 April 155024 June 1604), was an English peerage, peer and courtier of the Elizabethan era. Oxford was heir to the second oldest earldom in the kingdom, a court favourite for a time, a sought-after ...

, was the person actually responsible for writing the works of

. He is a founding member of the Shakespeare Fellowship, and in 2005 he proposed that Shakespeare's Stratford monument was originally built to honor John Shakespeare, William's father, who by tradition was a "considerable dealer in wool".Vickers, Brian (June 30, 2006). "Stratford's Wool Pack Man". ''Times Literary Supplement'' (5387): p. 17.

Notable works

*''The Porcelain Man,'' illus. Marcia Sewall, 1976 *''The Blue Stone'', illus. Ronald Himler, 1976 *''The Dark Princess'', illus. Donna Diamond, 1978 *'' Amy's Eyes'', illus. Richard Egielski, 1985

Awards

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

Notable Book List, 1976, for ''The Blue Stone'' *American Library Association Notable Book List, 1978, for ''The Dark Princess'' * Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, 1976, for ''The Blue Stone'' and ''The Porcelain Man'' *Association of Logos Bookstores Award, 1985, for ''Amy's Eyes'' *German Rattenfänger (Rat Catcher, i.e. Pied Piper) award as best foreign book translated in 1988 for ''Amy's Eyes''

References

External links

''Camelot, God wot! or: What a Woman Wants''

''The Snow Queen'', a Christmas Musical

''Come Again in Spring''
an animated telling of ''Come Again in the Spring''. Directed, designed and animated by Belinda Oldford, produced by the

National Film Board of Canada The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...

"The Woolpack Man"
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Richard 1932 births American children's writers Living people Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship Portland State University alumni People from Jefferson City, Missouri Shakespeare authorship theorists University of Oregon alumni