Pen Jen's Inkwell Podcast
by Jen Waters
Welcome to the Jen Waters' Pen Jen’s Inkwell Podcast! Jen wrote and performed all the original stories in the podcast. This podcast is produced by Eric Baines, who scored all the stories and poems in the series to public domain and original music. The podcast is associated with the blog of the same name, Pen Jen’s Inkwell, www.penjensinkwell.blogspot.com, which can be found on her website: www.jenwaters.com. It features the children's music and spoken word stories from her Apple Music releases, including WONDERLAND, WINTER WONDERLAND, IMPOSSIBLE THINGS, CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER, ENTIRELY BONKERS, HANDWRITTEN, HOOPS TIME, THE GREAT PUZZLE, and more. During the summer of 1994, Jen attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. In 1999, Jen graduated as an S.I. Newhouse Scholar from the School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a major in magazine journalism and minors in music and in English and textual studies. She took the TV, radio, and film classes in sound
Episodes
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The Dilemmas of Daisy Dimple
A smile and a flower can change lives. Daisy Dimple can't smile enough. At age 10, she plants flowers everywhere she goes, even in parking lots and sidewalks. She loves their scent and the beauty they bring to the world. Her 13-year-old brother Billy is a bully who’s jealous of her daisies and...
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Mandy Dandie's Pink Lemonade
With a little pink lemonade and a little musical magic, one special little girl can save her endangered neighborhood. Mandy Dandie refuses to let Sherwood Neighborhood—which is going downhill fast—be turned into a major freeway. People are unemployed and don’t talk to each other except to fight....
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The Potter's House
Being a willing vessel in the hands of the Potter can bring never-ending miracles. As legend has it, anyone who is a pottery student of Sage Conrad, a renowned potter in Charleston, South Carolina, is sure to experience a miracle, not like a hokey, made-up one, but a deep, mystical encounter that...
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Father Time
Everything is made beautiful in its time, even if the Hours tries to steal your minutes. Time flies! In an abandoned lighthouse on the coast of Great Point in Nantucket, Massachusetts, an elderly bearded man opens the windows to a bright morning. Over time, he has converted the tower and its…
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All Angels
One girl’s love, faith, and courage turn the tides of Heaven. Fourteen-year-old Joan Orleans is the wonder of the ages. In Medieval France, she has fallen madly in love with Michael, the youngest archangel. She loves to pray with him in the fields of France. Although she lives on Earth and he…
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Shiny Nose
When a little girl’s mother dies of cancer, a Christmas reindeer makes the world a brighter place. In 1939, when Robert May, a Montgomery Ward copywriter, decides to write a poem about a reindeer with a shiny nose, he hopes the world will become a brighter place. Many families could still feel…
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The Peaceable Kingdom
Unlikely friendships, personal courage, and loyalty can save the day and bring peace to a troubled Kingdom. Eight-year-old Shirley the Lamb doesn’t think she matters much to anyone. She doesn’t have a tail because a lion bit it off. Her family always makes fun of her, teasing her because she…
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The Mary Nose Mysteries
A magic camera leads a young photographer into mysteries only she can solve using the unexpected images that develop on her pictures. Talented but gawky 14-year-old Mary Nose— also known as “Nosy Mary”—inherits her photojournalist grandmother’s magic camera and sets up a secret darkroom. Mary…
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Minuet
Magic silkworms spin love in the most romantic way. Night and day, Emma Souster spins thread on a spinning wheel in her home, causing calluses on her hands. Her thread makes cotton frocks for the women of Bourton-on-the-Water in the Cotswolds in England. Because she is always too busy spinning…
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The Unicorn Cure
The strength of a unicorn makes you strong enough to achieve anything. Twelve-year-old Sunshine lives in the land of Gras whose best friend is a unicorn named Penrose. Because her father is King of Gras and her mother is the queen, she lives in a Scottish medieval castle. Penrose goes with her...
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Shoes
If you ever wanted to live in a shoe, now is your chance! Over the river and through the woods, there is an old woman who lives in an ankle boot in the Shoes Neighborhood, a neighborhood of footwear. Although her five children—the parents of her twelve grandchildren—live nearby, her grandchildren...
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The Great Magician's Feather Pen
If the Evil Squid Ink doesn’t steal the Great Magician’s story magic, Ink Fairies just might deliver a book to your beside from the Timeless Library. When the Great Magician in the Kingdom of Reynes runs out of ink in his jar, he calls the Ink Fairies for help. Like all magicians, the Great...
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Bubblegum Taffy Hot Pink High Heels
Time-traveling shoes offer a twelve-year-old girl a world of adventures, but her first mishap-ridden journey warns her to seek some experienced advice before her next trip. Twelve-year-old Aiyana Mitchell has her Bubblegum Taffy Hot Pink High Heels on. She loves to sit on the back porch in the...
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Frederick the Seahorse
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also, even at the bottom of the sea. Frederick the Seahorse loves to scour the ocean floor, looking for the Titanic’s lost sea chest. Although Frederick’s father King Maris, and his father before him have ruled the Kingdom of Kaimana they have...
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Six Strings
A beloved six string guitar travels from person to person, magically helping them out in their time of need with inspiration, encouragement, and comfort . . . then makes its way back to the little girl who dreams of playing it in Carnegie Hall. When 11-year-old Lyric Lark loses her beloved guitar...
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Handwritten
Handwritten letters bind young lovers together despite hardships and tragic loss, from grade school through World War II and into a life-long marriage. Young Dorothea Mildred Mengel walks three miles to church every Sunday, where she meets unruly and charming Wilson Moyer, three years older. He...
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Hoops Time
A talented but arrogant young basketball star learns to lead, to share, and to love. Johnny B. Good is at Lehigh College on a basketball scholarship for the Mountain Eagles men's team. Nancy Jones, daughter of the college president, is pursuing a degree in education and has a serious crush on...
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Rembrandt
A world-famous painter reveals his methods and encourages artists to paint with truth and light and to value each individual with all their strengths and weaknesses. Dutch painter Rembrandt introduces himself to his students, saying he wants to teach them everything he knows. As an artist, he...
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Monotone Monkey Melodies
Like the professor who bought a monkey with a tuba for a nickel, sometimes you get more than you bargained for, but if you think creatively, you can often find more than one good solution to a problem. Old Professor Tumnus bought Monotone the monkey at the Grantville Circus from a retiring organ...
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Gwen the Alligator
Some legends seem so real that they can capture lives and spark great loyalty. At Caerleon in Southern Wales, Gwen the Alligator who lived her whole life in the moat around castle Camelot, welcomes visitors to King Arthur’s realm for a retelling of the famous legends, including the quest for the...
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Romeo the Cat and Juliet the Dog
Can star-crossed lovers Romeo the Cat and Juliet the Dog ever find true love’s happiness? One day when climbing a maple tree, Romeo the Cat feels a prick in his thigh. He sees a red arrow stuck in his back leg. A blindfolded, tiny red boy with wings tells him he has been “shot by Cupid.” The...
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Rebecca Buttons
A teacher who believes in children’s dreams can help make those dreams come true in spite of discouraging thinking—especially if she gives them magic buttons from her magnificent collection. Dainty teacher Rebecca Buttons is Headmistress of Wormwood School for Higher Learning. When parents give…
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Beautiful Ballerina Slippers
With enough faith and courage even a dream of the impossible can come true. Young Christina Rose worries she will need to wear leg braces all her life. Grandfather Renato, a shoemaker who fibs to her often, tells her no one ever notices her clumsy legs and puts roses behind her ears every…
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Shamrocks
An Irish Faerie teaches a pig, a goat, and Leprechaun Elves that luck simply isn’t enough to get you by—you also need faith, hope, and love. Long ago in a land called Shamrocks lives a pink pig Mr. Hancocks and his closest friend Basil, a goat that sells fool’s gold near the end of the rainbow...
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The Turtle Who Became A Princess
Anyone can change if they have determination, vision, and guidance—even a turtle who wants to be a princess. Once there was a turtle who wishes she could get rid of her very heavy shell. She meets a mermaid who was also once a turtle. The mermaid tells the turtle to swim to the bottom of the…
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Handprints
A young artist encourages others to do like she does and make their unique mark with vibrant handprints that tell the world who they really are, for all time. Twelve-year-old Juliana Nelsen is an artist who puts her handprints on the walls, thumbprints on the ceiling, and footprints on the floor....
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The Orchestra's Tale
True Love demands expression, in the very best way. The whole world needs to know The Orchestra’s Tale! Giuseppe the Violin and Johann the Flute are sick of sitting on the shelf. Retired Conductor Franz Melodia of the Luneburg Symphony Orchestra lost his funding, so he cannot put on performances...
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The Nativity Spider
An ancient Christmas tradition of beauty and blessing is upheld by a brave little girl and a family of spiders. On Christmas Eve, 11-year-old Betsy Lobb’s mother tells her to kill the pet spiders she had befriended out in the fields after admiring their work. Betsy brought them home to the Lobb’s...
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Born on Christmas Day
A Christmas princess expands the kingdom of joy and helpfulness to many other children with her own generosity and dedication. Natasha Bell shares her birthday with King Jesus, believes she is a princess, and is inspired to do good everywhere and change the whole world! By age 10, she spreads…
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Bethlehem Star
We all have a destiny . . . if we’re patient enough to wait until just the right time to shine. Once upon a time a Christmas Star was born into the Universe. The Galaxy said its name was the Star of Bethlehem and although the smallest star in the Universe, its purpose was to shine brighter than…
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The Christmas Poinsettia
A very special Christmas gift of love can turn weeds into wonder. Young Maria likes her abuelita’s stories, especially about los Cuentos de Navidad with los pastores, los ángeles, and los Reyes Magos. Maria, 12, lives en un pequeño pueblo in México and one particular afternoon, she runs to her...
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Lewis The Christmas Bear
Lewis is a magic teddy bear that can bring healing and happiness to any child who hugs him. Now if only Santa Claus would take him out of the bag on Christmas Eve and give him to a child so he can fulfill his special mission. Once upon a time, there was a brown bear named Lewis who was made by…
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The Christmas Tree That Lives Forever
Annabelle is determined to have a Christmas Tree that lives forever—now if she can just convince her Scroogey father. The determination of 12-year-old Annabelle Cunningham makes Christmas last all year long. She wants a big Christmas tree, but her father thinks his Santa Claus collection is…
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A Christmas Hat
The magic of music and Christmas can bring new love. A Christmas hat, a magic Victrola, and a special carol create dance and romance. Augusta Brown is a milliner in Philadelphia with a shop in front of her elegant home displaying seasonal hats of every kind: pillbox, cloche, peach basket,...
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Angel Food Cake Ice Cream Truck
A little girl’s inventiveness saves Christmas when she remembers: "Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." On a warm December day, 11-year-old Celeste Peterson’s father leans against his rainbow-painted Ice Cream Truck, concerned that the…
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Christmas Pretzels
Even a humble Christmas gift can save a family—and a community. Bartholomew Dozen’s small bakery is next to noisy train tracks leading to the Wild West. Travelers often jump off the trains and stop by for a loaf of fresh bread. The bakery also attracts thieves and looting in the neighborhood has...
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One Little Light
One candle fights the dark to bring light to the whole wide world. Once there was a candle that wanted to light the whole wide world. As that light grows, the shadows become angry, and it’s a nasty fight between the darkness and the light. The darkness tries to blow the candle out, so the candle...
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The Legend of A Sea Urchin
Love knows love, even when hidden by an evil spell. The beautiful Princess Gabriella is beloved by her parents and renown for her enchanting music. Prince Francis from the neighboring kingdom of Mirth hopes one day she would be his queen, and Gabriella makes up a song just for him. The Queen’s...
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Guinea Pig Stew
Gertrude the Great saves a Guinea Pig’s fate. When eight-year-old Gertrude the Great’s third grade teacher says it’s her turn to take care of the class guinea pig for the weekend, Gertrude hopes to have sudden fame, but her grandmother has a fear of pets and gets chills and sweats. She teases...
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Daffodil Hill
Dreams can come true in the strangest ways . . . even for a rabbit. When Sally the rabbit first goes to live with a family, she runs free inside the house and is fed and petted by the little girl with pigtails, who also sings to her. Sally’s happiness ends when she is banished to a wire cage in…
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My Thinking Cap
One curious little girl tackles all the world’s big questions and finds . . . even more questions. Judith Pearl, age 12, has more questions than answers. Her quirky scientist father is a certified genius and assures her his Thinking Cap will give her the answers. She also hopes for added...
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Mr. Ferret and the Preposterous Porcupine
Some people just don’t know how to be nice, even when you save their lives . . . but maybe one day. Mr. Ferret is a nosy know-it-all weasel that likes to tell Mr. Porcupine that he is the most preposterous creature he has ever met. Every morning he hurls insults up the tree, but Mr. Porcupine...
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The Other Side of the Basement
If you are adventurous and courageous enough, you can find unusual new friends in the most unlikely places. Curious Tabitha Rainwater, age 12, a bit lonesome, dares to explore behind the heaped-up piles of junk in her family's crowded basement and discovers a colorful dragon with toenails like…
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Singing Lessons
If a blind and deaf woman can learn to sing—just think what you can do! The blind will see, the deaf will hear, and those people who sing off key will sound like angels. At age 14, Helen Keller and her trusted teacher, Annie Sullivan, 28, come to bustling New York City in 1894 so Helen can take...
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Father Christmas
Before there was Santa Claus . . . there was Father Christmas. In a magical, golden olde world, toymaker Nicholas is visited by the angel Gabriel, who announces that God is sending the middle-aged childless Nicholas to defend and protect the neglected children of the village. Nicholas doubts he…
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Kisses
All it takes is one man with a big dream and a heart full of love and kisses. Milton S. Hershey grows up a simple farm boy, son of an entrepreneur father and a Mennonite mother, learning by example the value of “dreaming” and the virtues of fairness and charity. His first job is as an apprentice…
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Peanut Butter Marshmallow
A lonely little girl makes a new best friend from her favorite foods—marshmallows and peanut butter. Bethany Buttercup, age 10, wants to make new friends and gets the bright idea to leave the marshmallow tube on overnight in her father’s factory, creating a puffy white friend as big as a snowman....
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Mr. Penguin Sings the Opera
A penguin with an amazing voice dares the doubts of others and a dangerous ocean voyage to follow his unusual dreams and successfully sing in the New York Metropolitan Opera. Emperor the Penguin of the Antarctic loves to sing, even if his friends and family don’t appreciate his talent. One day he...
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Oak Apple Day
A little girl longs for romantic love but goes after it in quite the wrong way. The British celebrate Royal Oak Day on May 29 in honor of King Charles II’s birthday. Ten-year-old Poppy Marigold wears an oak apple round her neck because if a student doesn’t wear a costume they are to be pinched—in...
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The Kingly Salamander
An important destiny makes personal sacrifice a noble thing, especially when love, loyalty, and friendship are also involved. Before time began, flames burn beneath the Earth, creating all living creatures, including a fantastic amphibian: The Kingly Salamander. Its red leather skin with black...
About this show
Welcome to the Jen Waters' Pen Jen’s Inkwell Podcast! Jen wrote and performed all the original stories in the podcast. This podcast is produced by Eric Baines, who scored all the stories and poems in the series to public domain and original music. The podcast is associated with the blog of the same name, Pen Jen’s Inkwell, www.penjensinkwell.blogspot.com, which can be found on her website: www.jenwaters.com. It features the children's music and spoken word stories from her Apple Music releases, including WONDERLAND, WINTER WONDERLAND, IMPOSSIBLE THINGS, CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER, ENTIRELY BONKERS, HANDWRITTEN, HOOPS TIME, THE GREAT PUZZLE, and more. During the summer of 1994, Jen attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass. In 1999, Jen graduated as an S.I. Newhouse Scholar from the School of Public Communications at Syracuse University with a major in magazine journalism and minors in music and in English and textual studies. She took the TV, radio, and film classes in sound
Hosted by
Jen Waters