Ken Connally - Author & Illustrator
Born in July 1967 in Fort Rucker Alabama, Ken is the oldest child of Jim and Kathy Connally. Ken's father served in the US Army for several years and was deployed twice to fight in the Vietnam War. Because of this, Ken's younger years were spent primarily with his mother.
Diagnosed at the early age of 18 months old, Ken attributes much of his personality to the challenges of his life long battle with diabetes. "I often refer to issues with health in my life as my 'demons'. These demons show up often in my poetry. I see myself as the soldier, the knight, or the wizard, doing battle."
"We can look upon our lives in two ways. With self-pity, or with a thannkful heart. Thankful not only for the blessings we have received, but also for the trials and tribulations we have been given. I have long believed that it is these that make us each the person we are today."
The nomadic lifestyle of living in a military family, in addition to challenges with medical issues such as diabetes, led Ken to be introverted and shy. "When we're given a challenge in our lives while we're young, mine being diabetes, we are often forced to grow up at an early age. I look back at all the teasing I went through because of ears that stuck out and a huge underbite, and I know where all the emotion I was feeling came from. Teenage years are already hard. These were the beginnings of my demons, and my blessings."
In his early teens, Ken found his creative thoughts growing and he began to experiment in expressing this through several modalities. One Christmas, he received a sketch pad and book on drawing animals. His love for drawing continues still, and to this day he still considers it one of his favorite gifts of all time.
Around that same time, his parents purchased a Baldwin electric organ. Although he has never mastered playing keys, Ken still loves to sit down and learn a new piece of piano music, and on occassion write a piece of his own.
Ken's love of poetry started around the age of fourteen. All through highschool he could be seen writing about the events around him and the challenges of a teenager's life. That love was solidified his senior year when his English class studied poetry for a period. The encouragement he received from his teacher is still appreciated.
Ken urges those young people out there that are feeling alone, humiliated and ashamed to keep hope, "Channel those feelings. Let the pen and page, keyboard, canvas, or whatever method you've found, become your release, your escape. Embrace the challenges, they will make you stronger, and you WILL get through to the other side."
Ken loves encouraging others when it comes to realizing the dream of publishing their own stories. "I encourage those that are curious about the publishing process to contact me. I don't have all the answers, but will be happy to assist in any way I can."
He continues to pursue new ways to express himself and is currently learning to play banjo.
His latest release A Night Like No Other is a story poem that Ken wrote after struggling with heart issues over the last few years. "After my heart attack in 2007, I found myself closing in, becomeing that introvert again, and feeling sorry for myself. Depression is a common problem with diabetics and heart attack survivors. I picked back up on a story I had started a few years prior and the words and emotions began to pour out. I was able to escape 'out of my box' and back into the Master's hands."
Diagnosed at the early age of 18 months old, Ken attributes much of his personality to the challenges of his life long battle with diabetes. "I often refer to issues with health in my life as my 'demons'. These demons show up often in my poetry. I see myself as the soldier, the knight, or the wizard, doing battle."
"We can look upon our lives in two ways. With self-pity, or with a thannkful heart. Thankful not only for the blessings we have received, but also for the trials and tribulations we have been given. I have long believed that it is these that make us each the person we are today."
The nomadic lifestyle of living in a military family, in addition to challenges with medical issues such as diabetes, led Ken to be introverted and shy. "When we're given a challenge in our lives while we're young, mine being diabetes, we are often forced to grow up at an early age. I look back at all the teasing I went through because of ears that stuck out and a huge underbite, and I know where all the emotion I was feeling came from. Teenage years are already hard. These were the beginnings of my demons, and my blessings."
In his early teens, Ken found his creative thoughts growing and he began to experiment in expressing this through several modalities. One Christmas, he received a sketch pad and book on drawing animals. His love for drawing continues still, and to this day he still considers it one of his favorite gifts of all time.
Around that same time, his parents purchased a Baldwin electric organ. Although he has never mastered playing keys, Ken still loves to sit down and learn a new piece of piano music, and on occassion write a piece of his own.
Ken's love of poetry started around the age of fourteen. All through highschool he could be seen writing about the events around him and the challenges of a teenager's life. That love was solidified his senior year when his English class studied poetry for a period. The encouragement he received from his teacher is still appreciated.
Ken urges those young people out there that are feeling alone, humiliated and ashamed to keep hope, "Channel those feelings. Let the pen and page, keyboard, canvas, or whatever method you've found, become your release, your escape. Embrace the challenges, they will make you stronger, and you WILL get through to the other side."
Ken loves encouraging others when it comes to realizing the dream of publishing their own stories. "I encourage those that are curious about the publishing process to contact me. I don't have all the answers, but will be happy to assist in any way I can."
He continues to pursue new ways to express himself and is currently learning to play banjo.
His latest release A Night Like No Other is a story poem that Ken wrote after struggling with heart issues over the last few years. "After my heart attack in 2007, I found myself closing in, becomeing that introvert again, and feeling sorry for myself. Depression is a common problem with diabetics and heart attack survivors. I picked back up on a story I had started a few years prior and the words and emotions began to pour out. I was able to escape 'out of my box' and back into the Master's hands."
