INVITATION ONLY

KEN COMPTON II

The past two hundred and fifty seven years has given the city of St. Louis, Missouri all the time it’s needed to establish itself as a midwestern gem. Despite the bad press the city received after ranking second on a list of fifty American cities with high rates of violent crime in 2019, the “Gateway to the West” still remains a great place to live for the everyday writer. In fact, the “Lou” is where we found this month’s Black, Gay, & Gifted feature, Mr. Ken Compton II. 

Unlike those responsible for creating and posting their version of content at reignbeauxlux.com, Ken is a real life writer who was born and raised in St. Louis by his mother alongside his oldest sister. He grew up on Basil Rathbone’s ‘Sherlock Holmes’, and eased himself into Tim Curry’s fan club after experiencing (because one does not simply “watch”) Jonathan Lynn’s iconic black cult classic comedy, ‘Clue’. He earned his BS in Computer Science from Truman State University, a MS in Management Information Systems from the University of Phoenix, and is currently working to complete a Project Management certification.

Many writers, upon being asked about what it was that drew them to the craft, cite themselves as lovers of the written word, as thriving off of the way their work connects them with readers and fellow writers, or recount their calling as being the result of them witnessing a reader feel their words for the first time. Ken, like any other existing writer, is able to recall the instances that lead him to become a writer. 

Sidebar. We’d like to take a moment to give a shout out to all the writers out there, because anyone brave enough to swim with the sharks of unrelenting criticism and “woke” rejection after making a conscious decision to dive head first into the Literary Experience Sea, is definitely a card carrying member of the ultra-exclusive ‘Bout That Life Club!

Ken’s membership into this club was extended to him by a philosophy and literature assignment he received during his last semester of undergrad at Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri. The assignment called for him to write an additional chapter to Gloria Naylor’s novel, ‘Bailey’s Cafe’. “Bailey’s Cafe” is a literary masterpiece that introduces readers to a war vet turned cook who serves as the story’s principal narrator. Despite this character being referred to as “Bailey”, readers are never acquainted with his real name. The book is magic realism at its best and definitely worth a read.  

“I had a great time writing about a character that I created and how she eventually finds her way to the café. I got an A on the assignment and a writer was born.”

Not only does Ken love creating literature, he loves what he feels while existing alongside and within it as well. Bookstores fill Ken with the same type of inspiration that bodybuilders encounter while at the gym. “I can be there for five minutes or five hours depending on my mood.”

We spent a little time with Arrested Development in this month’s Front Page, and were interested to know about any of the developmental delays that Ken has experienced as a writer. 

“Anytime I start a new story I feel a sense of arrested development.” he says.“I am still struggling with being prose perfect promptly.” 

Ken’s “arrest” comes as a result of him wanting whatever story he was about to write to feel right from the beginning. “If it doesn’t then the result is a false start, and it can take a while before I get back to the keyboard.” As disparaging as instances such as these can be for writers, Ken has reached a realization that many would-be aspiring writers never do - that the planning of perfection is a fruitless endeavor. 

“It’s a terrible waste of time because you won’t be perfect at the beginning of anything you do” he says. At the time the only thing holding him back was himself, and the evidence of this was apparent. “I wrote in spurts here and there, but most of the time was spent thinking about the prestige of being a bestselling author...”

“Arrested development also affected me by way of thinking rather than executing. That was my problem for years.“ The outcome of him concentrating on his desired destination as a writer as opposed to focusing on his journey as one found both he and his writing skills static. Even though he often found himself in front of a blank computer screen, Ken knew that his struggles were not unique to him. 

“People do the same thing when it comes to working out. We all want great bodies. but the work to get there is hard and the results take time.  Writing is not an easy process and the results may not be as immediate as you would like.”  

Another realization Ken reached was that he was fooling himself by believing that things wouldn’t work out. “If writing is truly your purpose, then nothing else will pan out well. That goes for any calling.” Ken’s suggestion is that those who’ve made the conscious decision to to make that head first dive into the Literary Experience Sea do so without the fear of criticism or doubt. 

“If it's something that you want, then you have to go and get it because it won’t come to you. If you don’t go after it then you don’t want it. You will find yourself at the end of your life wishing you had taken that chance.”  

And since we’re on the subject of odds, the odds of a writer being published and experiencing a steady flow of consistent sales are about one in one hundred...given that you factor in all the self-published books that only sell a few copies. These odds increase to one in one thousand for those who actually hope to make a living as a writer.

Ken’s odds of accomplishing one or both of these tasks have improved. He’s lending his talent to Rainbow Room Publishing LLC’s “From a Black Perspective: The Blood.” From a Black Perspective is a merging of authoric energies that will showcase the literary prowess of Ken and four other up-and-coming writers. The effort intends to bring as much attention to the work of its contributors as possible, and serves as a nod to the Harlem Renaissance as well. 

Ken’s involvement with the project proves the importance of having friends with benefits- especially when that friend is a fellow writer who just so happens to own his own publishing company. “I have been friends with Eddie Pierce, the founder of Rainbow Room Publishing, LLC, since we were in undergrad.”

He states (and we believe)that his decades-old friendship with Pierce didn’t assure him a walk-on spot. “I had a story that he wanted, so he extended an invitation.” Ken credits this invitation as playing an integral part in the revitalization of his love for and of writing. 

“The invite renewed my interest in myself as a writer. Speaking of arrested development, having supportive friends helps with that.” Ken’s submission is titled ‘Graffiti Park’, a short story set to introduce readers to the beginning of an upcoming book series he’s working on. “I am using the short story as a foundation for a whole new universe of storytelling.” 

The St. Louis native doesn’t intend on his contribution to double as both his literary grand opening and closing, and has at least one other project that’s waiting to be written. “I also have a super-hero with some pretty cool powers in development…” 

Ken is also working on a non-fiction piece that will be based off of some of his past employment experiences as well. We believe that Ken is at the precipice of something great, something whose impact will greatly enhance his life and the life of his future readers. 

Ken, who has traveled to almost every major city in the United States, shared that he plans to eventually relocate to New York City. According to Ken, there’s no place like the “concrete jungle” of New York. “It’s a writer’s city and an all-around cool place to be.”

Ken played his ‘Gateway City’ to ‘Big Apple’ transition close to the vest, but he was very open about another of his attractions to the nation's most populous city. Aside from New York being a great city for writers, Ken also  appreciates the demonstrated ability of New Yorkers to simultaneously grind and mind their own business. “Everyone is focusing on their own grind and not trying to spy on yours.” 

The obstacles Ken has encountered throughout his career as a writer aren’t once in a lifetime phonomenon. They have shown Ken the same thing that we hope Ken’s story will show you- that you are the master of your fate. Ken’s experiences, if nothing else, should affirm the belief you have in yourself, your gifts, and in your ability to use whatever roadblock you encounter as a tool to temper and hone the creative steel that already lies beneath. 

Ken’s writing interest and involvement with ‘From a Black Perspective: The Blood’ have one thing in common-that they were fated to present as invitations to a future filled with opportunity and promise...and not that other mess he was about to subconsciously talk himself into.  

Experience has an excellent track record of being the best teacher of all things. Ken, an experiencer of things, has some advice for the writers out there who are reading this after committing themselves to giving up on their craft. His advice isn’t necessarily new, and doubles as a set of quotes from writers who’ve been writing for years. 

“I am poorly paraphrasing, but Steven King says that writing is like ‘shoveling shit from a seated position’”. He closes the interview with another quote from one of his faves. “My favorite is Walter Mosley who encourages people to ‘write in order to discover’.”

We’re going to follow Ken’s lead by doing the same, and we’ll even stick to his writer’s theme.  Oscar Wilde, in his 1895 play The Importance of Being Earnest, is quoted as saying that “Nothing annoys people so much as not receiving invitations.” 

One thing that we’re certain of after having the pleasure of interviewing Ken is that of all the places he won’t probably won’t be invited to, the inevitable result of his debut as an author will ensure that he’ll always be welcomed in the world of writing.