A New Shine! Showcase:Jen wearing green awhile...

Each week (or so...) I select another member of our group to showcase on our site by making them a "Feature". This means that one of their works (I choose) will be shared with everyone along with a bio. Through this showcase, I hope you will learn something new about our SHINE members as well as support their creative efforts. If you would like to be featured it's easy: Join SHINE! And then let me know you want to be featured.

This week we say farewell to Payam Sudhakaranin order to welcome Jen wearing green awhile D.also known as Celanith. “Celanith is my user Id Gather name. I coined this name and made it up for a character in a book I have been writing off and on. It’s an adult fantasy sci-fi and Celanith is my heroine and she's a healer.”

This self described “hillbilly mountain gal”, whose real name is Jennine, absolutely finds animals wonderful creatures. “I love critters and have chickens and have had goats, cows, horses, pigs etc. My favorite animals are cats. I grew up with having wild pets, including skunk, raccoon, opossum, magpie, three different crows, turtle, a flying squirrel, a chipmunk and a monkey.”

Although she was raised in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, in Trout Lake, WashingtonJen wearing green awhile D.resides in Spokane Washington.

In keeping with her love of nature, (“I love rural and mountain living and hate cities…”) our creative is a spelunker , loves to fish, knows a lot about mushrooms and herbs for medicines and loves to take walks with her camera. She is very familiar with the work of I. Gifford Pinchot (considered the Father of Forestry) since the woods and fields “were literally my back yard and play ground as a kid growing up. Interestingly she shares an August 11 birth date with Pinchot!

Married 37 years to the love of her life, (he’s a substitute teacher) she has four grown children and 11 grandchildren. She is rooted in her faith in God. “God and family are first in my life.” Two quotes she lives by: “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me.” (From the Bible Philippians 4:13) and “Make do or do without.” (From her grandmother!) Jennine tells me that “I like helping people and giving. I feel people’s hurt, sorrow and pain as though I am experiencing it. I have had counselors tell me I am a natural empath.”

Although she is a very private person, she’s active in her church choir, women's group, is the talent show-coordinator and is in charge of prayer requests for the church email line. Of her writing accomplishments she says, “I took an Institute of Children’s Literature course. Like many of us she says she is terrible at punctuation and grammar! “I was the writer for a news column twice once for five years for The White Salmon Enterprise and later about 12 years ago now for three years for The Tekoa Standard Register. I have had poetry published in three different books.” Like many writers she is an avid reader. What does she like? “I especially read historical novels, westerns and sci-fi fantasy.”

What would people find surprising about our creative? In addition to playing the piano, singing and dancing, Jennine likes to yodel!

Jennine is a versatile writer to say the least with works that span many genres. She has given us and continues to give - priceless poems, fantastic fiction and noteworthy non fiction pieces on a myriad of topics-all well written and thoughtful.

I very much enjoyed her Simple things to make life easier and hope you will also.

Best and keep shining,

Pamela, Editor of SHINE...THE JOURNAL | Flash Literature, Poetry, Art and Photography!