Elva Crist
To Eau Claire writer Ken Szymanski, summer is a unique time. Though it always seems to be the most fleeting of the seasons, it remains the most beloved, and the memories associated with it live on as souvenirs of one’s home.
This July, during summer’s peak, Szymanski published a collection of poignant essays titled Summertime Souvenirs, which explores summertime moments that last far beyond the bounds of the fleeting season. These essays include both never before seen creations and new versions of previously published pieces. When crafting the collection, Szymanski was occupied with the transitory nature of the season.
“People love [summer], but it always feels like it’s slipping away and that dichotomy, I think, makes for an interesting topic,” Szymanski said.
For this reason, Szymanski anticipates that these stories will remain relevant for many years to come. Though summer seems short, he remarked that it will always return, and therefore the stories and memories of summer will have eternal value.
Szymanski said that this book was about “making a story into a souvenir that you can take with you, into the colder months, in the darker months.”
This philosophy is reflected in all of Szymanski’s works. To the writer, stories are souvenirs of a life which always seems to be slipping away.
Szymanski, as a lifelong Eau Claire resident, has a deep sense of what summer in Wisconsin means. He described the Northern Wisconsin State fair as a quintessential July experience. A picture of this spectacle makes up the cover of Summertime Souvenirs, which is designed by Szymanski’s nephew, Kevin Szymanski.
Szymanski cited “the smells and all the childhood memories associated with that place” as a primary inspiration for the collection.
Beyond the fair, Szymanski described kayaking down the Chippewa River as a central experience, marveling at its beauty and serenity.
“It’s so incredible that that is so close by, and most people never ever see it.””
“It's so incredible that that is so close by, and most people never ever see it,” Szymanski said. “And we are all traveling across the country to see these great things, but there is so much just right here.”
The experience of creating Summertime Souvenirs continued beyond the efforts of writing, editing, and publishing. Szymanski went on the road with friend, musician, and fellow teacher Derick Black to hold what they have termed “literary concerts” across the state. This tour was titled “The Traveling Literary Jukebox Experience.”
These literary concerts featured Szymanski reciting his stories, accompanied by Black’s music, which consisted of both covers and originals written to complement the tales. This format is an idea that the duo has perfected over the years in the Eau Claire literary scene.
Szymanski is an avid music fan and sees music as “a higher form of communication” and as a major influence on his craft, although he himself is not a musician.
“I long to play it, I long to be able to sing, but I can’t,” Szymanski said. “So, my way of getting closer to music is to write about it, and to write with it, and to be next to it.”
Szymanski also described how his literary journey has been inextricably linked to music, ever since his childhood.
“The very first article that I ever wrote was in my school newspaper,” Szymanski said. “It was an album review. And so, I've been writing about music since the very beginning.”
Later, Szymanski covered bands, festivals, and concerts as a writer for the Leader-Telegram. He said that he used the skills developed in capturing the experiences of musicians to create works that evoke the lives of his family and home, which ultimately led to the publication of Summertime Souvenirs.
Another dynamic element in “The Traveling Literary Jukebox Experience” was the opportunity for audience interaction. Audience members requested stories about different themes, and the artists would pull material from their vast catalogue of writings.
“It makes it fun for us because we don’t know what it's going to be when we walk into a place, and they don't know what it's going to be, and we create it together,” Szymanski said. Many of his pursuits, particularly in the Eau Claire community, have also been enriched by collaboration and by inspiration by other artists.
These experiences, particularly in educational settings, have profoundly impacted his career as an author, fulfilling his belief in cross-disciplinary inspiration. Szymanski described how his early literary experiences encouraged him to pursue writing.
“When we read Where the Red Fern Grows, the author actually came to my grade school in Eau Claire,” Szymanski said. “He spoke to us, and that made a huge impression on me that that was a person behind that, and he was just a regular guy that came to our school. And that made it feel like something that a person could do, is write books.”
Szymanski also described how S. E. Hinton’s youthfulness when writing The Outsiders, J. D. Salinger’s casual tone in The Catcher in the Rye, and the Midwestern setting of Michael Perry’s Population: 485 gave him the confidence that writing would not only be possible, but also valuable. He also mentioned the music of Bruce Springsteen, specifically his ability “to love and celebrate his home through his lyrics.”
“All of those things, growing up, had a big cumulative effect on me,” Szymanski said.
Ultimately, these early literary experiences led him to understand that here in Wisconsin, “we are not just flyover country.” The experiences, thoughts, and works of Wisconsinites matter.
Today, Szymanski can help young Eau Claire residents feel the same inspiration through his career as a middle school English teacher. This vocation, Szymanski said, is invaluable to him as a writer.
“I am spending my days talking about books and thinking about books and trying to get kids interested in things and talking about writing,” Szymanski said. “And a lot of the time the best way to understand something is to try to explain it to other people. So, it’s really deepened by an understanding of the writing craft and how to get and hold people's attention, because middle schoolers aren’t naturally interested in English class, or might not be interested in reading or writing, a nd then to try to find the way into a reluctant reader is also a good skill as a writer.”
Furthermore, Szymanski says that rhetorical skills necessary for a writer are also necessary for a teacher, and so his career as an educator helps him to practice writing techniques each day.
“I can’t take my audience for granted at my day job, and I don’t take my audience for granted as a writer.”
“I can't take my audience for granted at my day job, and I don't take my audience for granted as a writer,” Szymanski said. “And that makes me revise harder and to make it as tight as possible.
Since 2020, Szymanski has also been the city’s Writer-in-Residence, an experience which Szymanski has used to enrich the literary community here in the Valley.
“I set out that I really wanted to collaborate with as many people as possible,” Szymanski said. “So, during the pandemic I made the Snapshots series ... with that I collaborated with almost a hundred musicians and photographers.”
Szymanski is always working to bring new people into the literary community, via a variety of events and experiences.
"The biggest takeaway [from being Writer-In-Residence] has been the power of collaboration, and the power of collaboration across disciplines,” Szymanski said.
Szymanski plans to transform the experience of his collaboration with Black in “The Traveling Literary Jukebox Experience” into another piece to be featured in Volume One. It will further reflect on the undertaking and create another souvenir of both summer, and his experience as a writer in Eau Claire.
Szymanski’s writing is a continuous journey to capture and interpret the moments which have forged his life in Eau Claire, as a writer, educator, and person.
“That’s what stories are to me,” Szymanski said. “Holding on to moments in time.”
Keep an eye out for Szymanski’s future events, including the Chippewa Valley Writers Guild’s Sounds & Stories “Joy to the Word” program at the Pablo Center on December 18 and a Christmas literary concert at the Chippewa Falls Public Library. Szymanski and Black are also developing a literary concert exploring siblings. You can keep up with Szymanski’s events here.