Jan Kemp gained prominence in the 1970s as a New Zealand poet, with a talent for performance. Since 1980, she has spent most of her time overseas, in various countries. In 1994-9, following her second marriage to Dieter Riemenschneider, and since 2007, she has lived in Germany. Nonetheless, unlike for example Fleur Adcock, who has become a British poet, she has remained a New Zealand expatriate, with most of her poetry collections and her recent memoir published in this country. She has also had some short stories published in magazines and anthologies, and some literary criticism. Recently, she has had a new poetry collection, a collection of short stories, a volume with two novellas, and a volume combining the short stories and novellas published in Germany.

Her accolades include the

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Citation: Ross, John C.. "Jan Kemp". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 10 April 2023 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=15036, accessed 25 April 2024.]