Keenya J. Jackson
“Because sometimes love just needs a witness… Somebody to testify.”
– Pearl Cleage
About Me
Keenya J. Jackson (she/hers) is an emerging Philadelphia area playwright and author. Her play, The Return of the Shogun was a 2023 semi-finalist for the 46th Bay Area Playwrights Festival (BAPF). Her play Botanicals or Giving It to God, was a 2022 Terrence McNally Award Finalist. In the fall of 2022 Botanicals or Giving It to God also received a virtual production by Black Motherhood and Parenting New Play Festival and Detroit Public Theatre.
She has a passion for Young Adult literature, this has led to her completing her first YA novel Much Ado About Something, co-authored with Sarah Hyson.
Keenya is a graduate of The Foundry, A Playwrights Lab at PlayPenn in Philadelphia. She is a founder of Jouska PlayWorks at Simpatico Theatre, an assembly of Black playwrights who entertain, empower, and awaken the moral conscience. She is also a founder of the Media Arts Council New Play Reading Series, that creates community and supports local playwrights. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
Botanicals or Giving It to God
Joe Walker has been alone (preferably) for some time. His family and friends are the plants that he nurtures. His sense of community is skewed. When Joe calls the police about a disturbance, he is left to deal with the repercussions.
Celebrity Dream Date
Meet Leva and Sky Parker, the creators of a fresh, new take on the dating scene. Inspired after reading their aunt’s journal about a steamy, love affair with an old Hollywood actor (which had to be made up, right?) Leva and Sky navigate between AI generated dates and real dates and learn that dating for single black females is not for the faint at heart. What does real love look like? And can black women achieve it?
America's Favorite Feminist
The year is 2036, and the nation is captivated by the final episode of the groundbreaking reality series, America’s Favorite Feminist.
After a season defined by strategy, only two contestants remain: Minnie and Elizabeth. Their journey to the top has been made possible by their powerful alliance, one that has carried them through every challenge and controversy. But now, with a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on the line, their loyalty will be put to the ultimate test.
As the final challenge looms, the question is no longer just who has what it takes to lead– but whether friendship can survive when ambition takes center stage.
America’s Favorite Feminist isn’t just a competition. It’s a reflection of a new political era, where ideals, identity, and influence collide in front of a national audience.
Who will win the vote, and who will win the hearts of America?
The Media Arts Council
Co-founded by playwright Keenya Jackson, as one of three founding artists in partnership with the Media Arts Council, the MAC Play Reading Series creates a supportive space for local playwrights to hear their work read by talented actors and to receive feedback from a public audience. As the only ongoing new play reading series in the area, it brings exciting original stories to Delaware County.