Brown shares his thoughts on faith and writing As a young boy growing up in Indiana, Dale Brown was a voracious reader. “My family didn’t have a television set, so I would read for entertainment,” Brown explained. “I still try to read a book every one to two days.” However, Brown did not allow college to interfere with his education. “The biggest thing I probably did was quit school after my junior year of college,” said Brown. “This was in 1970 when the world was burning and the war in Vietnam was still going on. I had this moment of lucidity when I was in a speech class doing a demonstration speech explaining how a set of headphones worked. I looked up at the class and the professor, and I realized that they didn’t care and I didn’t care.” Brown stated that several factors influenced his decision to leave college. “I was taking a literature class, and we were studying Huckleberry Finn. The professor said that everyone should have a Huck Finn experience. I also knew two guys who were working in a housing project in St. Louis; they were really doing something, and I decided to join them.” While working in St. Louis, Brown received a 1A draft notice enlisting him for service in Vietnam. “I went to the draft board to explain the work I was doing in St. Louis,” explained Brown, “and they gave me a ministerial deferment.” As part of this deferment, Brown was ordained as a minister through his church. Brown worked as a minister for ten years; during those years, he toured with a singing group which included the parents of the now-famous Hansons. It was in this singing group that Brown met his wife Gayle, who is now working at Eerdman’s Publishing Company. After five years of traveling, Brown decided it was time for a change of pace. He finished his undergraduate education and received a master’s degree from the University of Houston; eventually Brown went on to obtain his Ph.D. from the University of Missouri. Now an 11-year veteran of Calvin’s English Department, Brown looks back at the long and winding road that led him to Calvin. “In graduate school I knew that I wanted to teach at a school that allowed a range of faith issues, but I was wary of the Bible college tradition that I grew up in,” said Brown. Brown explained that he came along at a time when Calvin was attemping to branch out and become more diverse. “Calvin was more open to people like myself who were interested in their Reformed aspect. I came on a two-year contract, and after one year I was moved to a tenure-track contract,” said Brown. Brown credits Calvin’s faculty with his decision to remain at Calvin College. “Part of my staying at Calvin College has to do with the extraordinary people in the English Department,” explained Brown. “It was through people like Tom Harper and [Clarence] Walhout that I learned about the heritage of this place and this department. The hospitality among the faculty made me feel valued.” For Brown, who grew up attending public high schools in Indiana, the new ethnic environment was a big adjustment. “I came here suspecting that I would really value the notion of a Reformed Christian education, and it turns out that I was right,” said Brown with a grin. Much of Brown’s scholarly work at Calvin has involved exploring the relationship between faith and writing. Brown stated that he was grateful to Christian author Frederick Buechner, among others, for inspiring him to explore the connection between faith and writing. “I was trying to move away from fundamentalism,” said Brown. “I am deeply indebted to the people in my background, but I wanted to get away from the literalist aroma. Buechner understands these complexities; he writes out of the context of faith, but he doesn’t make it too easy.” Outside of his scholarly work, Brown enjoys playing racquetball and spending time with his family. “I think I’ve reached a stage in my life where I’m amazed at how God nudges things along,” mused Brown. “Things are goin’ somewhere, not just anywhere.”