Kenney Myers

Author | Actor | Producer | Kickboxer | Entrepreneur

30 Famous Authors Named Ken

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follettWelcome to the first of many in my series of famous people with Ken as their first name (or a derivative like Kenneth, Kenny, or even Kenney).  We start off our adventure with some amazing authors.  Let me know if you think I left an excellent Ken of of the list (as I Ken and will approve them in the comments):

  1. Ken Follett – With more than 100 million copies of his thrillers and historical novels sold around the world, Ken Follett is a New York Times bestselling author from Wales.
  2. Ken Jennings – As a record-holder for the longest winning streak in Jeopardy! history and the all-time leading money winner on American game shows, Ken Jennings is also an author.
  3. Kenneth Benton – Kenneth Benton’s successful career as a spy and crime thriller genre novelist was inspired by his stint as an English MI6 officer and diplomat.
  4. Kenneth C. Davis – A historian whose Don’t Know Much About… series is quite successful, Kenneth C. Davis also lectures at museums and frequently appears on NPR’s All Things Considered.
  5. Ken Kesey – As a counter-cultural icon, Ken Kesey was regarded as a link between the Beat Generation and the hippies. While he wrote several books, his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest was his most popular work.
  6. Kenneth Fearing – Dubbed “the chief poet of the American Depression” by literary critic Macha Rosenthal, Kenneth Fearing was a poet, novelist and the founding editor of the Partisan Review.
  7. Kenneth Grahame – Author of the beloved children’s classic The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame was born in Scotland in 1859.
  8. Ken Hill – While Ken Hill was a theatre director, he also penned acclaimed works for the English stage.
  9. Kenneth Allott – A poet and renowned academic, Kenneth Allott was not only a writer, but accepted as an authority on his fellow poet Matthew Arnold.
  10. Ken Grimwood –While he sometimes wrote under the nom de plume Alan Cochran, Alabama-born Ken Grimwood also wrote several fantasy fiction novels under his own name.
  11. Ken Robinson – Knighted for his services to education, Sir Ken Robinson is an author and international advisor on education in the arts.
  12. Ken Bruen – Fans of noir crime and hard-boiled fiction know Ken Bruen as an Irish contributor to the genre. Bruen is also the recipient of the Shamus Award for outstanding achievement in private eye fiction by the Private Eye Writers of America.
  13. Ken Wilber – Ken Wilber has written about the mysticism, ecology, philosophy and developmental psychology that make up what he has dubbed Integral Theory, which he teaches at the Integral Institute he founded.
  14. Kenneth Koch – From the 1950s until his death in 2002, Kenneth Koch was an active professor, playwright and accomplished poet of the New York School of poetry.
  15. Kenneth Rexroth – Once named the “Father of the Beats” by Time, Kenneth Rexroth was a critical essayist, translator and poet that is considered a major player in the San Francisco Renaissance.
  16. Ken Dryden – A former NHL goaltender, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, a one time Liberal Member of Parliament and an officer of the Order of Canada, Ken Dryden is also a celebrated novelist.
  17. Ken Kalfus – With three books chosen as New York Times Notable Books of the Year, Ken Kalfus is a successful author and journalist.
  18. Ken Akamatsu – A superstar author and artist dedicated to the wildly popular Japanese manga art form, Ken Akamatsu is the brain behind runaway hits like Love Hina and Negima!: Magister Negi Magi.
  19. Ken Liu – A science-fiction writer whose works have appeared in Asimov’s, Clarkesworld and Analog, Ken Liu is also the only author to have a title sweep the Nebula, Hugo and World Fantasy awards.
  20. Kenneth Rose – Kenneth D. Rose is the author of non-fiction tomes like Myth and the Greatest Generation: A Social History of Americans in World War II, One Nation Underground: The Fallout Shelter in American Culture and American Women and the Repeal of Prohibition.
  21. Kenneth Clark – One of the most well-known art historians of his generation, Kenneth Clark was a London native who penned a series of books noted for their simultaneous mass appeal and contributions to legitimate scholarship.
  22. Kenneth Burke – Kenneth Burke was an editor, critic, literary theorist and philosopher, as well as a successful authority on rhetoric and aesthetics.
  23. Ken McElroy – An investment guru with a specialization in the area of real estate, Ken McElroy is a self-help motivational author with several high-profile books to his credit.
  24. Ken Segall – The brains behind the Think different Apple ad campaign, Ken Segall is also the author of Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple’s Success.
  25. Ken Bain – A renowned academic and professor, Ken Bain is also the author of two popular tomes for college instructors and students alike.
  26. Ken Wheaton – The author of The Subway Chronicles: Scenes from Life in New York and The First Annual Grand Prairie Rabbit Festival, Ken Wheaton is a native of Louisiana now residing in Brooklyn.
  27. Ken Schwaber – The president of Advanced Development Methods, Ken Schwaber is also the author of several non-fiction works aimed ad software developers and project managers.
  28. Ken Alder – An associate professor of history at Northwestern University, Ken Alder is also the winner of the 1998 Dexter Prize for the best book on the history of technology for his tome Engineering the Revolution.
  29. Ken Dornstein – In addition to publishing a memoir entitled The Boy Who Fell Out of the Sky: A True Story, Ken Dornstein is also the recipient of two Yaddo artist residencies and the Series Editor for PBS’s Frontline.
  30. Ken Harmon – A specialist in all things paranormal, Kenneth W. Harmon is also the author of Ghost Under Foot: the Spirit of Mary Bell.