Samantha Kobs / Photo credit: Justin Patchin
Rebecca Mennecke
Samantha Kobs knows a thing or two about joy – she experiences it with many of the things that keep her busy. She’s served as a Fulbright fellow in South Africa where she taught English for a year. Additionally, she worked in Mauritius – a small island country near Madagascar – and Rwanda for a start-up university. She eventually came back to Eau Claire to work part-time for a year at Delong Middle School. Now, she happily works as an English teacher at Stanley-Boyd High School.
Besides being an adventurer of sorts, Samantha is also a prolific writer. Her recent piece, “Star Stuff,” was originally written for a 6x6 reading and is now featured in the third issue of Barstow and Grand. She’s also a Volume One contributor, where she says she’s a “meticulous” writer. She records each of her interviews and transcribes them, which she says makes her feel like Katie Couric – or something.
“I guess I mostly do it to feel cool,” Kobs said. “I don’t have quite as quick of a turnaround with the other creative writing opportunities, and my focus with those is more on storytelling and connecting than relaying important information. Now that I’m thinking about it, my creative writing pieces are written more for my own personal feelings of accomplishment than for the readership’s pleasure. Or are they? Actually, I really don’t know anymore!”
I had the immense pleasure of chatting with Samantha about an upcoming event in which she’ll be featured: “Sound And Stories Presents ‘Joy To The Word.”—an evening of holiday stories, humbug, good tidings and good cheer. On December 16, she’ll be performing alongside storytellers and writers Tom Barland, Jan Larson, Bruce Taylor, and B.J. Hollars. All of this, alongside the musical stylings of The UKE Klub!
Rebecca Mennecke: The title of the event is “Joy to the Word,” so I have to ask—how does storytelling bring joy to the world?
Samantha Kobs: First of all, what isn’t storytelling? Movies, songs, video games – it seems like they all tell a story. It’s human nature to turn towards stories for comfort and entertainment. I think humans just want to know that their individual experiences – good or bad – are also experienced by others. That’s why I love going to different events, no matter where I’m at – in Eau Claire, out of town, or abroad. I’m always touched by the things that people share, and it is a great way to build relationships with people.
RM: What are you excited to bring to this event?
SK: Well, I have no idea what anybody else is bringing to the event, but I’m hoping that I can offer a unique piece that is both reflective and relatable to the audience. My piece is a story, of course, but my writing is usually a strange form of talk-therapy. Often, when I write about moments in my life, I don’t really know why the moment is significant to me. At some point in the writing process, it usually hits me—it’s like this a-ha moment in which the entire memory makes sense. I’ll realize that the memory serves a purpose and tells me something about myself at the time of the experience that I may not have been aware of. It’s pretty cool, actually. And I’m hoping that the audience can experience that with me.
RM: What is it like to prepare a piece to read at this event?
SK: Writing for these local events is such an awesome opportunity. The theme is always pretty loose, which gives me a lot of creative freedom. At the same time, I’m given a time limit and a deadline, which is exactly what I’ve found I really need in order to create a solid piece. When I write in my own time without a particular event in mine, I often feel myself floundering with so many ideas or a complete lack of focus. I usually table those pieces because I just don’t know which direction to take them. With events like this, I’m given restrictions. As a person who loves a good challenge, it’s the best way for me to produce something!
RM: What is the best part of the holidays in the Chippewa Valley?
SK: I love the holiday season in the Chippewa Valley because there are always so many different events going on. During the summer, I take advantage of free music and the beautiful bike trails and parks, but it’s during the holiday season that I find myself wanting to get out of the house so much more, so I attend more readings, live music performances, or other events. It’s a great time to explore new places, especially when it helps to cure the cabin fever that so many of us get from being cooped up inside. Last winter, the snow was so high and the paths so narrow around my neighborhood that going for walks felt just as stifling as being at home. The different events around town really help combat the winter blues and remind me of how lucky I am to live here!
RM: Do you have any unique holiday traditions in your family that you would be willing to share?
SK: As much as I wish I could say that my family always rents a cabin in Duluth or that we sing carols by an open fire, none of that is true for us. I grew up in a low-income home, and some of my family still continues to work paycheck-to-paycheck to make ends meet. We don’t do holiday-themed family photos or decorate a tree together. Some years, we just bake Great-Grandma Sylvia’s signature sugar cookies or see if we can get a snowmobile or other random vehicle to start so we can rip around the yard (side note: my parents live on a junkyard). My sister and I usually try to squeeze into these retro snowsuits that belonged to my grandpa back in the day, I think. Last year, she blew out a leg zipper and had to duct tape it closed to keep the snow out. It felt very much like a typical holiday celebration to us – nothing Hallmark worthy by any means, but definitely full of laughter and the occasional non-life-threatening injury. I think my family holidays are so much more fun than holidays I’ve spent with friends or significant others. There isn’t any focus on the food being perfect or people being satisfied with the gifts they get. We just hang out until we’re tired, cold, and crabby, and it’s awesome!
RM: Do you have any tips on writing about the holidays?
Ken Szymanski / Photo credit: Justin Patchin
SK: My most frequently used writing tip comes from the wise and underrated Ken Szymanski, local English teacher and creative writing guru. He used to really stress the importance of moments, and he’s right. There are individual moments that stand out. Brief memories. Detailed visuals that we can’t seem to forget. I think it’s these things that make the best writing material. Again, the big question to ask yourself is this: why is this moment or image so important? If you’re like me, you might not know until you’ve been writing about it for a while. Sometimes something that seems insignificant can make the best damn story, and those are my favorite pieces as both an audience member and a writer.
RM: What are your hopes for this event?
SK: To put it simply, I hope this event is just as awesome as the previous “Sound and Stories” events. I love how different each reader’s words are, and I’m hoping that our pieces all tell individual stories that collectively reach everybody in the audience in some way.
Join Samantha, Tom Barland, Jan Larson, Bruce Taylor, and B.J. Hollars as they celebrate words with good tidings and cheer at 7pm on Monday, Dec. 16 at the Pablo Center! There will be festive tunes from the UKE Klub. This event has been generously sponsored by Royal Credit Union.
