On the evening of Wednesday, April 20, renowned author R.L. Stine was the guest speaker for the University Programming Council’s annual speaker event. The audience gathered at the Student Union, catching sneak glances at Stine’s spry figure as they lined up outside the room eagerly awaiting the Goosebumps author.
R.L. Stine engaged with an audience of fans and enthusiasts, sharing intriguing anecdotes from his life and literary career while everyone hung on to his every word. He shared that a teacher once asked him to take a photo because “the kids all think you’re dead,” according to the teacher. With a warm and pleasant demeanor, he effortlessly weaved humorous anecdotes in his interview, showing that the 79-year-old is very much alive and sharp.
Stine grew up in the small town of Bexley, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. At nine years old, he would drag his typewriter from the attic to his room to write joke books.
“I never wanted to be scary,” Stine emphasized while sharing the early stages of his writing career in comedy. In the 1970s, he worked for various humor magazines such as Bananas and Dynamite. During a lunch with a friend who was a Scholastic editor, Stine was presented with the idea of writing a horror novel for young adults, as the editor had recently had a falling out with another popular horror author, Christopher Pike, and didn’t want to work with him anymore. Stine went home and studied children’s horror to help him write the first Goosebumps book, “Welcome to the Dead House,” published in 1992, which became a best seller. By the mid-1990s, Goosebumps was selling four million copies a month.
“I said forget comedy. I’ll be scary.” Stine explained.
R.L. Stine credits “Tales From the Crypt” horror comics as an early literary inspiration. He recalled visiting his barber weekly to read the comics since they weren’t allowed at home. Stine joked, “I have more hair now than I did as a kid.” As a child who only read comics, he struggled to find his desired reading material at the library. Fortunately, Stine talked about how a compassionate librarian introduced him to the “imaginative and beautifully written” science fiction world of Ray Bradbury books, which had “terrific twists” and turned him into an avid reader.
Stine would go on to have a nerve-wracking encounter with Bradbury at a Los Angeles book festival. With the encouragement of his wife, he mustered up the courage to approach Bradbury and expressed his admiration by saying, “You’re my hero.” In response, Bradbury humbly replied, “You’re a hero to a lot of people,” which moved Stine to tears.
Junior economics major and UPC Director of Finance, Christian Daley interviewed Stine during the moderated Q&A session, asking written questions submitted by audience and UPC members. Daley placed Stine on “the Mount Rushmore of horror writers” and was excited to interview one of the most prominent figures from his childhood. “I’m extremely grateful for the opportunity UPC gave me to interview a legend. He was so kind and funny,” Daley said.
During the event, attendees were treated to an engaging discussion with Stine where they got to ask him questions directly. Stine shared that his personal favorite Goosebump books are “Brain Juice,” a 1998 novel about a group of students becoming so brilliant they attract the attention of aliens who kidnapped them, and “Haunted Mask,” a 1993 book about a girl who puts on a Halloween mask that won’t come off and turns her into a terrifying creature.
Stine is still surprised that Goosebumps has remained popular 30 years later, as he was only “initially contracted to write four books.” Goosebumps has become a cultural phenomenon and one of the most successful book series of all time. The books have sold over 400 million copies worldwide, and the franchise has been adapted into a television series, a movie and even a temporary theme park attraction at Disney World. Stine is not slowing down. He shared that he is releasing a brand-new Goosebumps series in September 2023 called “House of Shivers.”
Many attendees left with a newfound appreciation for the creative process behind their beloved childhood books. “It was really cool to see the backstory on the books that made our childhood as well as glimpses of his life while writing these books,” sophomore informatics major Devansh Jain said.
When asked about his creative process and how he generates so many ideas, Stine explained that he usually thinks of titles first, like “Goblin Monday,” and then develops a story around it. Regarding the success of his Goosebumps series, Stine attributed it to the universal and enduring nature of fears that people have, such as fear of the dark, getting lost or encountering something terrifying in a creepy basement. These fears have stood the test of time and continue to resonate with readers, leading to the long-lasting popularity of his books.
The event wrapped up with Daley thanking Stine for visiting UMass and emphasizing his undeniable impact on children’s literature. Junior English major, Eliza Keenan, expressed her admiration for R.L. Stine during the event, recalling how much influence he had on her childhood. “It was great interacting with a man who influenced my childhood,” Keenan said.
Samourra Rene can be reached at [email protected].
