Stu Engle is a Ball State Grad, a high school teacher, a coach, a former Daily News staff member and a published author. He returned to Muncie on Saturday for a book signing at Danner's Books, and he took the time to answer a few question for this Face to Face.
Q: First, the basics -- age, occupation, blood type, etc.
A: Age 47; English/Journalism teacher, boys' and girls' tennis coach; B positive -- nothing special. If I get stuck with a knife, I bleed just like any other normal human being.
Although I have published a novel, I don't consider myself an author. The principal said the other day that that I should get my way since I am now a renowned author. If I sell 10,000 copies, I might be able to, but I would still teach. I love seeing kids learn and use their skills.
Q: What year did you graduate and what has changed since you were here?
A: 1979. Facilities -- every time I return to Ball State, there seems to be a new building. In Muncie, there seems to be new businesses popping up everywhere. When I came to Muncie last Saturday, one thing remained constant: traffic congestion.
Q: Tell us about the writing process for your book. Where did the idea/ideas come from?
A: Basically, I played the what-if game: What if a charismatic, idealistic governor comes along at the same time that the economy bottoms out and the average working man is one step away from a revolt? When my main character becomes governor in 2016, he has to make some tough decisions to cut the state budget to try and bring the Hoosier economy in line.
Q: What role did Muncie/Ball State have in your becoming a writer?
A: I had some very fine English Department and Journalism Department professors at Ball State -- too many to name. Probably the one that stands out the most was an English professor, Dr. Havre. She demanded excellence and always brought out my best work. She critiqued my writing very severely, but it made me understand how sentence structure and meaning were important to good writing.
Q: At 10 p.m. any given Saturday, what are you doing?
A: I usually am attending a high school event during the school year. If there isn't one going on, I am usually writing or reading. In order to write my novel -- which took up a lot of my spare time for the past three years -- I spent a lot of late nights and weekends working on the novel. When I have the time, I go to a bar that has trivia contests. I enjoy trivia contests, and over the years I have met a lot of interesting people in a bar atmosphere who enjoy playing trivia as well.
Q: Name someone in politics that you trust, and tell us why you trust them.
A: I don't know any politician on a personal level, so I can't say I trust or not trust anyone. I am very skeptical about any politician who makes a claim and does not back it up because it might step on someone's toes. I have interviewed many politicians over the years -- city councilmen, mayors, state senators and state representatives; I did a story about Dan Quayle long before he was the vice president. In the late '70s, he was the U.S. Congressman representing the Allen County area.
Q: What do you miss most about Muncie? Or do you even miss it at all?
A: Relationships. There are so many interesting people of all ages that I met at Ball State. I would love to know what many of them are still doing today. When I graduated, I wanted to get away from Muncie, but after a while, I think I know that most of my time at Ball State was memorable -- so many fun people, so many experiences that happened that helped form who I am today.
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