Hello, I'm JP.
Howdy! I'm JP (they/she), an Austin, TX based poet & filmmaker with a deep love of stories in their many forms and manifestations. My artistic journey began making plays and filming movies on my grandmother's VHS camcorder in my parent's southern california garage at the age of 11. Around that time, my first poems (largely about Johnathan Taylor Thomas) were being scribbled into a Hello Kitty diary that required a key to open. As a teen I lined the virtual walls of my MySpace with, you guessed it, self-written poetry! I'm a storyteller, a creator of magic, of make-believe, and romantic through and through. I'm a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, a graduate of the Tisch School of the arts, a published poet, award winning actor & filmmaker, a sagittarius (aries moon/aquarius rising), an enneagram 4, and the lucky parent of the cutest cat/dog duo the world has ever seen. As a trained actor, I relish the opportunity to engage in the theatrical. I will never shy away from a costume, wardrobe, or dialect request for an event ;) The conversations I've shared over the years with folks as I create their poems have been some of the most riveting and big-hearted encounters of my life. As both a screenwriter and poet, identifying character and capturing a person's story in a poetic snapshot is my greatest joy. It goes like this: we have a brief conversation, often one based on a prompt of the client's choosing, and that conversation — equal parts casual and something akin to a mini therapy session, serves as the inspiration for the poem I then craft in real time. Some say I have a gift for providing the space for folks to open up and share vulnerably. It's my JOY to listen and to provide this space to others. I find that the most nervous are also the most eager to connect, that everyone could use a poem even if they don't know it yet, and people leave this experience feeling seen and like a snapshot of their story or the moment that they're living in has been sketched in words for them to keep and treasure. We usually part at the end of this experience with hugs, tears, laughter or a mixture of all of the above. It is an exchange of artistic medicine in a world which rarely allows us to pause and truly connect or feel seen by a stranger. I consider myself a poetic chameleon. My style, always retaining a cadence which is uniquely my own, subtly bends to mirror the essence and personality of each person/muse I write for. I love talking to new people and listening to them share the tender nuances of their lives. I believe in the imagination as the place where we break down limiting belief systems and see to believe in the softer, kinder, and more empathic world we all wish to live in. Poetry is the best medicine there is. Past clients have included Fendi, Faragamo, Brugal, Armadillo WHQ, Free People, and many more ;) I'd love to speak with you about bringing the magic of poetry to your next event. IG: @jenparkhill | W: jenniferparkhill.com | E: jenparkhill@gmail.com