Alumnus authors fourth and final book in YA series
As one of many studentswho come toThe Collegeof Woosterundecided aboutwhat to study, Robert Kugler ’95tǴǰclasses in several subject areasbefore trying outIntro to Black Studies. “It changed my life,” Kugler said. “It was the first class I had taken that really got me fired up.”He declared aBlack studies(now known as Africana studies)majorand set his sights on becoming ateacher, eventually being hired at a New Yorkprivateschool after graduation and soon transitioning to an administrative role. “With some good timing and hard work, I went from teaching high school English to being the dean of students,” Kugler said.He compared the best qualities of his job with those of Wooster. “Working in this settingreminded me of thethings Wooster was good at—individual engagementandmaximizing the small school experience,”Kugler explained. “I was trying to take thegreatest aspects of Wooster and applythemto my life as an educator and administrator.”
In many ways, Kugler’s experience with the Black studies department allowed him to think more broadly as an educator.“It was very important that in my classes, we didn’t just read texts from the voices that dominated the literature world,” he said. One example is Langston Hughes’ poem,Whathappens to a dream deferred?“I still had a copy from a class I took at Wooster, Literature of Black America,” Kugler noted. “It hung up in every classroom I every taught in.”
WhenKugler moved with his family to Hawaii,heretiredfrom teaching and becameastay-at-homedad.It was not long before he dove deeper into his passion for writing.“I’m a big reader and always had the thought that I’d like to write a book or novel,” Kugler said.Deciding that writing could be a career, Kuglerfounded his independent publishing company,Four Leaf Publishing, and in 2018, finishedThe Last Good Day—thefirstnovelof what would become the Avery & Angela series.Chosen as the 2020 Virginia Author Project YA Book of the Year, thiscoming-of-agestoryfollowsthe titular characters, twohigh schoolbest friends whoreckon with their relationship, identity,and future.Originallya standalonenovel, Kuglerstarted working on a different novel before deciding that Avery and Angela’s story “wasn’t quite over.”He followedupthe first novelwithOn the Road to HereandWhen Only Love Remains, before wrapping up the series withLove Will Come to You, published in December2020.Notably, the latest novel includes a global pandemic in which the main character, Avery, gets sent home from school, a relatable experience forWooster studentslastspring. “It’s a flashbulb moment that has context for everyone in the world,”Kugler said. “It’s not a huge part of the story, butit’s a contemporary novel and would have been irresponsible not to considerincludingit.”
Kuglercreditsthe feedback he received from his professorsfor improving his writing skills. “Anything I accomplished as a writer began at Wooster,”he said. “The feedback my professors took thetime to give me was incredible, and my writing improved by leaps and bounds with every paper I wrote.”
Posted in Alumni on January 22, 2021.
Related Posts
Related Areas of Study
English
Students benefit from the small classes and access to faculty members in the small private liberal arts setting at Wooster.
Major MinorAfricana Studies
An interdisciplinary approach to interpreting the lives and experiences of the world's Black women and men.
Major Minor