ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The summer reading fun at Liberal Memorial Library will continue next week with a very special presentation.
Storyteller Jefferson Knapp will visit Liberal Memorial Library Monday, July 1 to talk about his journey in creating his stories and book series. The presentation will start at 1 p.m.
As Knapp tells it, his journey to being an author was rather long and winding.
“Officially, I've been an author full time since 2010. I started writing in 2008, but it took a couple years to have a book and everything to officially get started,” Knapp said. “I started off with an idea for one book, and I figured out this particular idea would be better suited as a series, and that went from three books to six books, so it's a very big story. It's a fantasy series somewhat akin to the 'Chronicles of Narnia' series, with the first book coming out in the fall of 2010 and the final book coming out in the fall of 2023. Around 2015 was when I began writing children's books, and I've been able to ghostwrite or co-author books for some famous athletes and coaches in the meantime. In the summers, I like visiting libraries and giving presentations, and I do the same during the school year. My goal is to help children get excited about reading and maybe even inspiring some future writers.”
Knapp said the idea for his first stories came about in a somewhat odd way.
“At the time I'd started writing, I was working with the Andover school district as a groundskeeper, and there was one day when I was mowing a baseball field and my mind was kind of wandering to memories of a dog I'd had as a boy, and I started coming up with this idea of him living this secret life the whole time he'd been my pet that included a bunch of adventures,” Knapp said. “That day, I ended up with the idea for my first story, and even though I'd never written a book before, I knew I had to get this all down on paper. So I dedicated those next couple months to writing, and then when I had a first draft, I was really happy, and then I went through the editing process, which can be quite lengthy. I'd enjoyed writing in school for assignments and projects, but I'd never necessarily aspired to be a journalist or professional writer of any sort. When I got that original idea, I wanted everyone else to know, and I ultimately discovered this was what I wanted to do. I've been in many career fields, and this one is the most fun and most fulfilling, but if you'd asked me as a boy what I wanted to do when I grew up, I probably wouldn't have foreseen myself becoming a writer.”
Having lived in the area previously, Knapp said he is excited to be making his way back to Southwest Kansas for his upcoming visit.
“I actually lived in Dodge City for a while with a friend and his wife, and I was a coach for the high school's soccer team, so I was pretty familiar with Liberal due to us playing against each other on the field,” Knapp said. “Anytime I get to get out to that area, I love it. Every part of the state is so different, and it's always fun to get back to Southwest Kansas, and I think it'll be great revisiting such a cool place. And I'm not as familiar with the library there, so it'll be fun to get to know the staff and get a new audience and see how everything goes. Since it'll be mostly children in the audience, I really try to emphasize imagination and how important it is to use it. I grew up in the 1980s and back then, we had to use our imagination because we didn't have anywhere near the amount of technology and gadgets available today. I was always trying to tap into my creative side to amuse myself or play outside, so I always try to emphasize that with the children in the audience about how valuable imagination is. I also talk about how I came up with the ideas for my books and a little bit about the writing process. I also try to emphasize how I'm not anyone particularly special and how they can also become writers and be creative if they want to be, they just have to believe in themselves.”
Knapp added he hopes to see a big audience at his presentation, and said he always enjoys visiting libraries.
“If you have children who aren't necessarily avid readers, but you'd like them to be, I hope my presentation sparks at least a little something – but if not, hopefully I at least make them laugh a little, because there are some funny moments included in my presentation,” Knapp said. “I also hope to get them interested in my books, especially since these stories take place right here in Kansas and are by a Kansas author! And not just with my books, I hope to get children interested in reading period, because books take you to another world and can open your mind so, so much. I've also got some cool props I'll be bringing with me, so hopefully that will also help spark some humor and increase that interest in reading. I think it's great being in libraries. I talk to children all the time about how I grew up before home computers were a thing – if you had a home computer, it was a BIG deal, and they were far more expensive then than they are now. Going to the library was basically the highlight for me every week, and that also helped me open my imagination. I also mention to my audiences how I'm still interested in cryptozoology, which is all about creatures like Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, and that got sparked when I was a boy. I was always checking out books about things like that, and it's still so cool to go into a library because it makes me almost feel like a boy again and brings up those memories.”
Overall, Knapp said, the audience should have a good time at his presentation.
“If anyone's interested in learning more about my books, they can visit jeffersonknapp.com or krakenbooks.com, or they can also follow my Facebook page, and they can look at my entire bibliography and see the projects I've been part of,” Knapp said. “I'm really excited to be coming to Liberal Memorial Library, and anytime I can visit Southwest Kansas, it's just an absolute joy.”
