Behind the Scenes with Joseph
Joseph Kenyon is a novelist, teacher, poet, scholar and writer of short fiction. He has been applying his craft, one way or another, his entire life.
"Writers are influenced by their upbringing and experiences. But they are also influenced by the writings of others, the major historical events of their times and the great public and literary figures to whom they are exposed." -- Joseph Kenyon. See the authors, events, and texts that continue to influence Joseph's writing.
Joseph was born in Butler, PA - a small city nestled among the foothills of the Alleghany Mountains north of Pittsburgh. The youngest sibling of four, he was raised in a family full of love and devoid of tragedy. His early years were filled with joyous and noisy gatherings of a large and happy extended family.
Outside the house, Joseph had a group of friends with whom he played board games, wiffle ball, hockey, baseball, and football. Between games, they made frequent visits to the candy store and, later, Jake's. They ventured from their side of the city to explore the stores downtown, to buy albums at The Exile and hoagies from The Hoagie Shop. After many years and many miles, "the guys" are still a force in Joseph's life.
Among Joseph's many interests - aside from writing in all of its forms - is an interest in government, history and all things international, which he dates to his first job as a paperboy. Besides giving him an opportunity for solitude, highly necessary for a budding writer, delivering the newspaper on foot provided him an opportunity to "read all about it!" Walking up and down the hills, too steep for bicycle delivery, he had ample time to keep up with world events.
Joseph went to Butler High and on to Butler County Community College where he was introduced to mythology, astronomy and journalism. Like the interest in civics, these new interests would continue through the years.