Jennifer L. Keene
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26 Hugs
I smiled as I read the note from Mom that arrived in the mail along with a newspaper clipping about “the importance of affectionate touching.” She remembered. I certainly did too. I was a strange little kid sometimes. My parents tolerated it all. Embraced it really. From the one-woman girl baton-twirling, roller-skating-on-the-living-room-carpet shows I would…
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“Her suicide was one day in a life.”
I recently had the opportunity to speak on a panel organized by Interpublic Group, which owns the company where I work, in honor of National Mentoring Month. I arrived assuming I would network a bit, do the panel and then head home. Ho-hum, right? Silly me. Sure, I was able to meet executives from the…
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The dog model
I’m pretty sure this Great Dane Everybody loves the neighborhood Great Dane See this Instagram video by @jenniferlkeene * 65 likes …is the same dog featured in this [incredibly gorgeous] Kehinde Wiley photo series. Photo by Kehinde Wiley and New York Magazine More about Kehinde Wiley here.
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Hipster business name generator
When I first saw the web site that generates so-called hipster business names in November, I laughed. The twee results – two seemingly unrelated nouns linked with an ampersand – were both funny and familiar. Similar businesses exist all over NYC with a heavy concentration in Williamsburg. The site is the brainchild not of a…
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A reliably great day in NYC
I don’t recall exactly when I learned about the Achilles organization, but I do remember who enlightened me. It was my wonderful friend Jennifer Lagrotteria (then Mahran) who explained that there are people who don’t just tackle a marathon, but do so in service of others. I was floored. Achilles volunteers don’t run 26.2 miles…
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Dollar a day
My mother grew emotional the first time she told me about Tyaisha Leary. Her eyes filled with tears as she talked about the terrible night in 2009 when Ms. Leary’s ex-boyfriend set her house on fire, killing sons Taevon and Michael. You can read more about this sad, sad story here. Northeastern Pennsylvania has a…
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A tribute to Mark Kuller
We were sitting at the bar at Palena, my friend Joanne and me, when the couple arrived. Most likely, I was drinking one of Derek‘s sidecars while deciding what to order to eat. I probably had Chef Frank Ruta’s fantastic burger. A couple then came to stand behind our end of the bar. I think…
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The other side of the camera
In my line of work, I’m used to being just outside the camera lens’ reach. Where I belong. But once in a while, I need a photo-that-isn’t-a-selfie for professional reasons. Things like a work newsletter or a sports industry Q&A. When I lived in Washington, DC, I was a contributor to the now-defunct DC Style…
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The day everything changed
9/11 never gets easier. I can never forget what life was like here in New York City on that day in 2001. I had just accepted a job in Washington, DC the day prior. It was a tough decision to make (I LOVED NYC and never wanted to leave) but I wanted to make this…
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The vanishing rhino
When we spotted a rhino during our safari last July, our guides made it clear that this was a special sighting. Maureen, a five-time Maywood Rotary Kenya Project volunteer (amazing and wonderful, by the way), commented that this was the first time she had seen a rhino during the group’s annual trip to the…
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