An Interview with Ken Conklin

Ken Conklin is a member of the Author’s Guild, the Virginia Writers Club, and the Poetry Society of Virginia. A native of Los Angeles, he has resided in Botetourt County for nearly twenty years. Conklin was presented a 2022 Kegley Award from the Roanoke Valley Preservation Society for his book NORVEL: An American Hero, about Botetourt County native Norvel Lee, Virginia’s first Black Olympic gold medalist. He is also the author of the poetry collection The Zen of Ken. His essays have appeared in the Roanoke Times, Victoria Advocate, Easy Reader, and Microwave Journal. Though a lifelong writer, Conklin made his career in the technology industry as an executive traveling extensively in North America, Europe, and Asia. An avid outdoorsman, he enjoys golf and hiking the trails of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. He continues, however, to root for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I’ve been a writer ever since I began reading books in elementary school. Even then I would write stories that I imagined. I wish I still had some of those early handwritten pages, but time took care of all that. After returning from Vietnam I wrote poems for apparent cathartic reasons. Then later I wrote essays and commentaries. Then the story of Norvel Lee came screaming at me, “Tell my story!”

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

My career was in the advanced technology area. I was at the forefront of many technologies we take for granted today. The most familiar one was GPS. I was the business development person who first introduced a semi-conductor-based GPS receiver to a little company named Garmin.

Tell us the story of your book’s title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

My book’s title, the first name of my subject, was the working title through the many drafts I had. I expected an editor, beta reader, or a Norvel Lee family member to suggest something different, but none did, so I stayed with it.

How did it feel when you first saw your book cover? Or when you first held your book in your hands?

I selected the cover because it encompassed all that Norvel Lee was. First and foremost he was an educator, so to have him in a boxing pose in front of a classroom was perfect.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

“The Boxer” by Simon and Garfunkel.

What is one thing you hope readers take away from reading your book? How do you envision your perfect reader?

That anyone can overcome the obstacles that life presents and lead an impactful life.

What was the most rewarding/meaningful part of publishing your book?

The Virginia State legislature, inspired by the book, designated the highway near Norvel Lee’s childhood home the Norvel LaFallette Ray Lee Memorial Highway, and placed a historical marker along it. And the impact it had on Norvel Lee’s descendants was also very meaningful.

What new writing projects are you currently working on? Or, other projects that are not writing?

Next, I will be writing a historical fiction story about the rollout of GPS.

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.