In December of 1994, Kevin's grandmother gave him a notebook for Christmas.
At the time he was a freshman at Grand Valley State University and for some reason, he began to use it as a journal.
He filled that notebook with thoughts, feelings, and ideas regarding his life and continued on to fill four more.
Those notebooks are the source from which The Tomato Collection was created.
Over a period of four years Kevin wrote almost 700 pages of thoughts, poems, and stories, while continually revising those drafts, deciding which selections to include in the book, and adding titles.
To create the illustrations, he looked through art he had already created, selected photographs from old family photo albums, drew and painted new stuff, and built some sculptures.
At the same time, he was gradually assembling the book on his computer and asking many people for their suggestions and opinions.
In addition to working on the book and attending GVSU, Kevin worked for West Ottawa Public Schools in the video department as well as for GRTV, Grand Rapids Public Access Television.
He graduated from GVSU in May of 1998 with a Bachelors of Science in Film and Video Production and worked over the summer and fall to complete the book.
It was published in the spring of 1999.
About half way through creating his book, with the help of some friends, Kevin also began producing an audio CD.
After many years of work, in October of 2000, Kevin was proud to release The Tomato Collection: the Big Album CD.
With the help of over 50 musicians, most of them from West Michigan, each poem was transformed into a song.
With a variety of musical styles and ideas, the album was an exciting way to bring the poetry to life.
Recently Kevin has completed a new book, I Remember..., as well as did artwork for Fred Koch's holiday album, Tis the Season, produced by Melody House, Inc.
Currently Kevin lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan where he and his wife Stephanie are collaborating on future projects.
Over the years, Kevin has visited hundreds of schools, libraries, and bookstores.
When giving his presentations, Kevin does his best to have a great time.
He's an easygoing, casual, and down-to-earth kind of guy.
Lastly, Kevin enjoys spinach dip.
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