Rich Kern is a Chicago area writer working in mediums of scripts, short form, content writing, and music & audio. His works appear in periodicals, as poetry contest winners, and in performances at theaters, galleries, and events.
A telling of the tragic life of Inuit youth named Minik Wallace. 3rd place in poetry contest. Published in The Miserere Review, Fall 2024 Issue and included in the anthology. Later compiled as part of the Contours chapbook and sold on-shelf at Pilsen Arts & Community House. Read | Stream | Own
A man trains a crow near his late father's cabin. When the bird finds a family heirloom a guilty memory is triggered. Performed as spoken word at sold out Art Speaks event hosted by Vibrant Cast. Later published to Vibrant Cast's Website. Read
A college student's future self time-travels to share answers on a physics test, but a second future self appears, urging him to fail honestly instead. Produced by The Whiskey Radio Hour as part 1 of Episode 31. Read | Listen
At the end of a holiday hijinx movie, The Christmas Bandit is to be unmasked, but no one stays in character. Written as an Antiplay Cohort exercise. Read
In 1920s Southern Louisiana, there's a reward for a magical ring stolen from a grave. The one wears it sees the indestructible red threads of fate. But is knowing one's fate the beginning of madness? Sold as booklet in Lines and Language exhibit at Prism Spaces. Given excerpt stage reading by Danztheare Ensemble. Read
A worker at a vintage, 1930s, themed carnival sets out to sabotage a rival who is a magician. Written for, presented, and performed at Studio 928's Haunted Art Gallery. Read
Interactive story game. Reader's choices impact what happens. Reader must outwit the cats, disarm the mouse traps, and return safely with the cheese. Fully playable online. Includes help map. Play Online
About men's health, defining masculinity, patriarchies, East Africa. Cites examples of vulnerability and leadership in young female students of East Africa. Written for Asante Africa Foundation. Read
Discussion of the haphazard pace of The Super Mario Galaxy Movie while appreciating some of the nostalgia. Published in The Hooghly Review. First posted to Yuck it Up. Read
Stream | Own | Lyrics From Silhouette of Man, a concept album about the geopolitical intrusions of nations into people groups of the Arctic Circle. Blends elements of Rock, Alternative, Rap, Folk, Electronica. Music, lyrics, production, by Rich Kern.
Stream | gemoorethewriter.com From g. e. moore's spoken word collection, I Used to be a Superhero, about finding meaning in a callous world. Spoken Word, Atmospheric. Lyrics and vocals by g. e. moore. Music and production by rich kern.
Stream | Own From the Live at Espresso Cup album. Unconventional, Singer-Songwriter, Folk Rock. Fun, heartfelt, abstract, fierce, whimsical. A true capture of the live experience that makes you feel like you are really there. All songs written and performed live solo by Rich Kern. Recorded by Erik Grant. Produced by Panacea.
Stream | Own From the widely bootlegged album Copy and Give to Friend. Solo acoustic songs about life, love, and being broke. In a Folk, Singer-Songwriter, Americana style. Written and performed by Rich Kern. Produced by Autonome.
The instrumental soundtrack for space captain Aarthur Aarmageddon and his eclectic crew of Gamma Zoans. The stone tablet foretells that Rich Kern will be snatched up by alien life forms on his 100th birthday only to enter a time paradox where he will age in reverse in a distant galaxy. His only way home? Ignite the funk music. Instrumental, Melodic, Funky, Scenic, Spacey. Decode the Stone
Composed and produced by Rich Kern with Spitfire Audio and the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Score, Cinematic, Sound Effects. Score/Audio composed and produced by Rich Kern to match video. Video was made by Heavyocity.
Meloncholy, Cinematic. Background music for a videogame. Free with credited use on itch.io. Video made with ZGameEditor.
Three scripts ready for producer, director, or fellow creatives.
Seeking director with acting troupe. 120 minute. Unpublished. Cast size 20+. Dual roles for table read is ok. PG13 audience. Themes of cooking, baseball, and cartoonish stage combat. Must be in greater Chicago area. Synopsis on request.
Seeking producer/director/troupe for Best Friends For Life: A Neuro Dramedy for the Homebound. 120 minute. Unpublished. Cast 10-14. Themes of grief, the afterlife, youth delinquency, and mental health. Performable with puppets. Mature audience.
Logline: A twenty-something plays videogames with a ghost- while a surreal web of bad therapy, love triangles, and talking pets, all encroach on a truth he’s not ready to reconcile.
Science fiction work in progress. Short script with ample room for creative audio and visual or other multimedia. Epic plot. Open to remote collaboration. Features an artificial life form, future tech, spiritual themes, and doomsday scenario.
Commission based composition & score. Videogame, film, theatre, or use private unpublished catalog. Fast results. zero AI. Reels available for serious inquiries. Audio editing and mixing.
Available for commission, credit, or ghostwriting. Content, copy, proofreading, editing, or project management services. No dependency on AI.
Kern has composed and performed music on guitar, bass, vocals, and drumkits for theatre, rock bands, ensembles, and as a solo artist.
He cofounded and facilitated Chicago Suburban Drum Circle for two years, which culminated in the end-of-summer, glowstick-infused, Navy Pier drum circle aboard The Tall Ship Windy.
Notable music groups inlcude Polytechnic (gutarist / songwriter), Gringo Soul (bass player), and multi-instrumentalist/live foley for Eudaimonia. He was in an on-stage Pirate Band in their production of Pirates of the Carribbean and acted as Mr. Arrow. He also composed and performed on guitar, for a run of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.
For some time he performed solo shows comprised of just guitar and vocals in small venues. A favorite result of that is the album Live at Espresso Cup, which truly captures the raw live essence, including some banter with the audience. It is a welcome display of authenticity in a time where it is hard to decipher what is human-made.
Audio and music production experience involves many small projects and a year serving as a routine live mixing technician for a small ensemble.
Kern's music style runs the gamut from space funk electronica to one-man acoustic folk songs. In recent times, he has shifted toward writing, but can still be seen in a pop-up ensemble behind an instrument from time to time in the greater Chicago area.
As a creator of many mediums, most musical projects are strongly associated to Kern's body of work in writing, often crosss-pollinating between domains.
Kern has contributed a number of works to magazines over the years, typically poems and short stories. These works often find their way onto musical concept albums in the forms of spoken word or lyrics, or have originated there.
Kern has recently participated in several cohorts, among them: Danztheatre Ensemble's Playwright's Cohort, Typeset Cohort, and Antiplay Cohort. These focus on development of the craft of script writing through exercises, prompts, and peer review.
He is a winner of Florence B Palmer's poetry contest (awarded $1000 for first place) with his poem Intolerance. His song Cracking (which is about the life of Minik Wallace) was awarded third place and given a two page spread in The Miserere Review's poetry contest.
Additionally, his writing background reaches deep into team leadership and technical writing for data analytics and information system development, as well as writing for marketing teams, one of which is Asante Africa Foundation.
Kern excels at vivid imagery, deep subplot, and allusion to real world people/places/events, as well as fourth wall breaking. It makes skilled use of gothic and existential themes using genres of dark comedy, drama, and sometimes parody. But his professional writing is highly adaptive to brand voice and target audience as needed.