Jenny Pacanowski is Poetic Theater Productions’ Veteran Voices Program Director.
She is also the Founder and Director of Women Veterans Empowered & Thriving, a reintegration program utilizing writing and performance to empower experiences and facilitate skills to thrive in daily life.
In the Army while deployed to Iraq, Jenny was a combat medic and provided medical support for convoys with the Marines, Air Force, and the Army. She also did shifts in the Navy medical hospital.
She is a professional poet, performer, public speaker and playwright. Jenny has been featured on WFMZ, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Turner Classic Movies, Thriver Thursday’s with Robin Roberts, and The Chew on ABC.
She has spoken at Ithaca College, Syracuse University, NYU, Drake University, Haverford College and other institutions throughout the country. Jenny collaborated with multiple organizations including Poetic Theater Productions, Lucid Body House Impact theatre, Decruit, Aquila Theatre and other veteran artist based organizations.
As a playwright, her play, “Dionysus in America,” was featured at the Vortex theatre in Austin Texas receiving a great review from Broadway World.
Jenny Pacanowski is passionate about awareness, education, and sharing the veteran experience with society. The reconnection from military to civilian culture is essential to our veteran’s health and well-being. She believes successful reintegration programming such as Women Veterans Empowered & Thriving are essential to diminishing the plague of suicide, addiction, and homelessness in the veteran community.
With Poetic Theater Productions:
Poetry presented before GOLIATH at the Wild Project and at Culture Project’s IMPACT Festival
Poet and Performer in From Table to Stage in Poetic License 2013
Playwright for Ideals At War: Love in Poetic License 2014: Shades of Love
Playwright in Conscious Language 2014
Poet/Playwright for the Emotional Competency in Policing Pilot Project presented in Conscious Language 2015
Poet for Love, Redefined 2015 and 2016
Curator and Performer for Kicking Down Doors: Veterans & Their Families in America in Poetic License 2016 and Poetic License 2017
Curator for Poetic License 2016: A Kind of Now
Artist in The Artist Co-Op Pop Up
Associate Producer: Veteran Artist Curator & Presenting Artist for Outside Paducah: The Wars & Home & Veteran Voices 2017, performing as a part of the Veteran Voices 2017 Kickoff Event on Friday, September 29th and on Sunday, October 15th and as a featured panelist on the Sunday, October 15th Female Veteran Panel.
Curator, Writer, and Presenter Veteran Voices: A Reclamation in Poetic License 2018: Reclamation
Curator, Writer, and Presenter Veteran Voices 2019 in Poetic License 2019: Resilience
Featured performer in Together in Resilience: A Celebration presented with Judson Arts Wednesdays
Featured Artist in Reckoning, Resilience, Reconnection Open Mic at NYTW Featuring Poetic Theater Productions
Curator and Featured Artist in Veteran Voices in Poetic License 2020: Renewal
Featured Poet in Poetic Lyricism: Body Language as part of Poetic License 2020: Renewal
Lead Curator, Workshop Facilitator, and Featured Artist in Veteran Voices 2020: Reckoning
Curator, Program Developer, Workshop Facilitator, and Featured Artist in Veteran Voices: Transformation
Curator, Program Developer, Workshop Facilitator, and Featured Artist in Veteran Voices: Conscious Community as Ritual
Playwright and Performer in Rituals of Becoming in Veteran Voices: Rites of Passage within Poetic License: Ritual
Co-Host of Veteran Voices The Interview Sessions Interviewing Stacey Bell, Drew Pham, Tara Krause, Miguel A. Faña, Karen Alvarado and John Meyer, Maria Salazar, Mary Jo McConnel, and Donna Zephrine
Playwright in Veteran Voices Playwriting Presentation June 2021 presented by PTP & NYTW
Presenting Artist in Welcome Back Jam Session: Open Street presented by PTP, NYTW, & FABnyc
Teaching Assistant in Veteran Voices: Playwriting Presentation December 2021
Poet in Journeys Onward: Military Veterans’ Experiences
Writing and Revision Facilitator in Untold Stories: You Ask, I Tell