Ken Conklin, a native of Los Angeles, lives in southwestern Virginia. He was awarded a 2022 Kegley Preservation Award by the Roanoke Valley Preservation Foundation for bringing the extraordinary life of Norvel Lee to the public's attention in his debut book: NORVEL: An American Hero. NORVEL was also a Finalist in the 2021 Next Generation Book Awards. His essays have been published in the Roanoke Times and other publications such as the Victoria Advocate, Easy Reader, and Microwave Journal. A collection of his poems are published in The Zen of Ken. Although always a writer, he made his living in the technology industry as a business development and general management executive. In those roles he had the opportunity to travel throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The experiences from those travels inform his writing. Aside from working on his next book, Ken and his wife enjoy spending time with their family and friends, going to live music events, golfing, and hiking the beautiful trails of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Ken continues, however, to root for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Ken is a member of The Authors Guild and The Poet Society of Virginia.