Wallace State alum Jeff Dingler has essay published in The Huffington Post as he completes debut novel
HANCEVILLE, ALA. – Jeff Dingler has always been fascinated with the power of words,
and his writing career has continued to flourish since graduating from Wallace State
Community College in 2015.
Dingler, 34, was published by the Huffington Post earlier this year for a personal
essay he penned, chronicling his time spent at a migrant refugee camp on the United
States border, south of Brownsville, Texas.id="attachment_17742" align="alignright" width="300"
Jeff Dingler displays a sign while attending a migrant refugee camp.The essay begins with Dingler stating: “One of the last things I did before the world
went into COVID-19 lockdown last year was witness a refugee camp with my own eyes.
At this time, this camp held some 3,000 people, most of them families, women and young
children, all cramped together on what used to be a small public park, cooking from
stoves made of dried mud, sleeping on the ground in camping tents or yurt-like structures
of tarpaulin and other scrap materials…”
Dingler’s visit to Texas is an anecdote to a debut novel he is seeking to get published,
titled, “The Witnesses,” about migrant children on U.S. soil. The novel revolves around
Blake Kohler, a precocious, albeit late-blooming 22 year old and how he falls in with
a group of dedicated activists knows as “Witnesses,” trying to shut down a prison
camp for migrant minors just an hour south of Miami. As Blake becomes more involved
in protesting, he’s torn between his growing dedication to the movement and his feelings
for a fellow activist, the charming but elusive Luna. A kind of coming-of-age story
caught up in the detention-deportation machinery of modern-day America, “The Witnesses”
examines not only what it means to bear witness but how far some are willing to go
to shine a light on tragedy.
“Writing consists of a lot of small victories and being published by The Huffington
Post is one of those,” Dingler said. “Even though my novel is a work of fiction, I’ve
interviewed dozens of people to examine what it means to ‘witness.’ All fiction is
a blend of reality. There are lessons to be learned.”
Dingler’s foundation as a writer
Dingler’s writing roots formed well before he attended Wallace State. His family owns
a performance hall and community theater called The Wherehouse in Gardendale, and
that helped spark his interest in storytelling.
“My mother is a great storyteller and entertainer and was a theatre major in college.
I’m captivated by the power of language and words. If it wasn’t for language, our
world would not be here and we wouldn’t be able to communicate and share knowledge,”
said Dingler, who grew up interested in R.L. Stine and Stephen King books and novels.
Dingler took eight years away from studies after graduating from Mortimer Jordan High
School and ultimately enrolled at Wallace State, mainly because he was aware of the
new creative writing classes offered at the time and the college’s successful theatre
department.
While at Wallace State, Dingler was a member of the Lion’s Den Creative Writing Club,
an organization of students, alumni and members of the community interested in promoting
writing and literature. He also served as the editor of YAWP, Wallace State’s Journal
of Arts and Letters, and participated in Wallace State Theatre classes. YAWP meets
on Wednesdays at 2:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall Lab 209.
A couple of months before graduating from Wallace State in 2015, Dingler earned a
prestigious scholarship to attend the New York State Summer Writers Institute in Saratoga
Springs, N.Y. He was the lone community college student represented that summer, joining
students from the likes of Stanford and Columbia.
Dingler returned to Saratoga Springs after the Institute was complete, transferring
to Skidmore College – also the alma mater of Wallace State English instructor Michael
Salerno. Dingler earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Skidmore, continuing his
writing while enrolled. He wrote for the Saratoga Living magazine while enrolled and
interviewed a wide range of celebrities, including Tim Meadows, Jewel and Melissa
Etheridge, and other public and political figures.
While working with the magazine, he became intrigued by the Witnesses and the movement
across the country at the detention centers. His initial work about the Witnesses
was published in an article by The Washington Post.
“My experiences observing and researching the Witness movement have defined my writing.
The people I’ve met through the movement and the things I witnessed in Texas are life-changing
experiences. I believe my novel is a vessel for those stories,” said Dingler, who’s
pursuing a master of fine arts degree through Hollins University (Roanoke, Va.).
As Dingler pitches his novel to publishing agencies, he positively reflects on his
time spent at Wallace State and how it ignited his writing career.
“Wallace State is a special college with great people. It’s a beautiful campus and
where I was encouraged by Mr. Salerno to pursue the opportunity at Saratoga Springs
and eventually Skidmore College,” Dingler said. “If it wasn’t for the creative writing
classes at Wallace State, I wouldn’t have had the chance to attend one of the most
prestigious colleges for writers. I’m very thankful for that.”
Read Dingler’s published essay here | https://www.huffpost.com/entry/biden-trump-migrant-asylum-seekers_n_60219e61c5b6c56a89a39a32
Dingler has also been published in The Washington Post | https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2018/12/22/outraged-by-family-separations-this-man-has-held-solitary-vigil-desert-two-months/
For more information about Wallace State, visit www.wallacestate.edu.
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Jeff Dingler is a 2015 Wallace State graduate. ______________________________
Russell Moore
Wallace State Community College
Creative and Content Services Coordinator, Communications and Marketing
Speech Adjunct Instructor
256.352.8443 | office
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russell.moore@wallacestate.edu
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Kristen Holmes
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