A Riverside, CA, PRESS ENTERPRISE article

10:00 PM PDT on Wednesday, August 10, 2011 By PETER FISCHETTI Correspondent news@pe.comMike Meyer spent 40 years teaching students how to write. Now he's showing them how to write. After retiring in December from his most recent position as professor of writing at Riverside City College, the 63-year-old Temecula resident has returned to his passion for writing by completing his first two novels. The first, published last month, is "The Survival of Marvin Baines," a not-so-serious look at one man's quandaries and foibles as he approaches midlife. The second, "The Famous Union," published last week, is set on a small California college campus, where tough financial decisions bring about disruption and hilarity to a once-proud institution of higher learning. Both books are available at amazon.com. Since earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from Sonoma State University, Meyer has taught writing -- mostly college freshman composition -- all over the world, beginning at Utah State University in 1971. He has since taught at universities in Saudi Arabia, Portland and the Virgin Islands before joining Riverside City College in 1986. In "The Famous Union," Meyer imagines what would happen if budget constraints in education forced a college to drop the freshman composition class -- which is a required course in every other school in the country. "Those struggles are not far removed from what is actually taking place in our economically strapped nation today," he said. As an instructor, he said, "I had hardworking, serious students at all institutions, and at all times of my career, but I also had too many who allowed themselves to merely slip by, and too many who made too little attempt to even do that. Therefore, teaching was both exciting and very fulfilling, but it was also quite frustrating at times. "I feel that too many students today just do not strive to push themselves to their full potential. The California community college system, for instance, is, to my way of thinking, the greatest higher education system in the world. It is for everyone. People who have never before seen success can have a second or third chance, and at any age." While the great writers may be born with talent, everyone can improve their writing skills, Meyer said. "I've had students who said they never had an interest, so you spark an interest," he said. "They may have a passion, something they want to say, and you can teach them the format to do that." Among the writing exercises he used as an instructor is to give students an image or part of a sentence. "I'd have them write non-stop for 20 minutes on that subject, take a break, then go over it and make changes. I also suggest starting a journal and write every day. And read. Every great writer is a great reader." Meyer's first wife died in 1969. He remarried three years ago. His wife, Kitty, is a retired elementary school teacher. With two books on the shelf, Meyer is at work on his third novel, a thriller set in Germany and Saudi Arabia. If you have an idea for an Inland People profile, contact Assistant Metro Editor Mark Acosta at 951-375-3725 or macosta@PE.com INLAND PEOPLE Mike Meyer AGE: 63 RESIDENCE: Temecula OCCUPATION: Retired in December after 40 years of teaching, most recently at Riverside City College NOTABLE: Completed and published two novels in the last month, and is working on a third.

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