Helen Kennedy (she/her)
Toronto, Ontario

Over the past two years, Helen has facilitated over 200 workshops for WCC. Her steady gig is two sessions a week: with seniors at a Woodgreen site on Monday and on-line Fridays at noon. Every workshop inspires and rededicates Helen to her facilitating journey. She continues to be astonished at the beautiful writing which emerges in just twelve minutes. Her interest in WCC was provoked by Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall and David Lightfoot, while she was a member of their writing group.

Helen has been a labour and community activist for over forty years. She has served as an Executive Board member of the Toronto and York Region Labour Council, President of CUPE Toronto District Council, a member of the CUPE National Women’s Task Force and Chair of the CUPE National Women’s Committee. As Recreation Coordinator for Toronto Parks and Recreation at Lawrence Heights Community Centre, Helen fought for social justice and racial equality at the grass roots level and brought this experience to her work in the labour and social justice movements. After retirement, supplemented her BA (Western) and MA (York) in English by completing a Certificate in Creative Writing from the University of Toronto. Last year she finished a memoir centred on surviving intimate partner violence. Her eight grandchildren bring her immense joy, as do her five children.