Guest Jenny Land Mackenzie grew up in Vermont and figured she would likely return there one day. However, her college career—filled as it was with all sort of creative explorations and outdoor adventures—set her up to delve into one passion only to have it lead her to another passion. This began when her interest in the history of clothing led her to an internship at a museum led by a mentor who would ultimately spark a passion for organic farming. The love of the land led her to other gardening adventures which led her to teaching adventures. Teaching led to a break for her own schooling, which led to more teaching and the development of a family life. Passion for her family ultimately led her to create the type of teaching and writing career that fills her soul.//In this episode, find out from Jenny how planting seeds for tomorrow’s bounty can sometimes nurture your own sense of place…on Roads Taken with Leslie Jennings Rowley.

About This Episode’s Guest//Jenny Land Mackenzie lives in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom with her husband—with whom she teaches at St. Johnsbury Academy—and their twins. Along with having a soft spot for organic farming, hiking, singing and the history of fashion, Jenny enjoys the process of writing in all genres. She is the author of The Spare Room, a historical novel for middle grade readers, as well as the non-fiction volume Teaching Rules! 52 Ways to Achieve Teaching Success. In 2015, Jenny was the grand-prize winner for that year’s Reader’s Digest Poetry Contest for her poem “After the Death of Their Child,” inspired by the infamous Lindberg baby. The following year, she won another top honor, as her poem “Morning E.R.” was selected by the Telegraph newspaper as the winning entry in the poetry contest to celebrate Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday.

Read Jenny’s award-winning poem, “Morning E.R.” about Queen Elizabeth II.

And to see examples of the homemade Halloween costumes Jenny mentioned, see this year's dragon and gnome.

For another story about being called to one thing and following another to find your way home, listen to our episode with Michelle Erickson Waters.

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Find more episodes at https://roadstakenshow.com

Executive Producer/Host: Leslie Jennings Rowley

Music: Brian Burrows

Email the show at RoadsTakenShow@gmail.com

Planting Ideas: Jenny Land Mackenzie on nurturing a sense of place and the next generation

Roads Taken