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#keepmuncieweird

I'm actually on a quest to find the big, purple hippo.

We wanted to see if we could stir up activity from our giggling ghost.

All I can think of is soft hands petting papier mache dogs into their sturdy shells.

#keepmunciewhimsical

I can't say I've ever seen a sky as blue as the one that hangs above my street, Fullhart Drive.

A handyman and a girl just wanting to have fun...

In this community, no matter what we are going through, we don't have to dance alone.

The above are examples of lines of weird and whimsy--wisdom-- from Muncie community partner stories that you will find in this collection of stories.

English 409, Creative Writing in the Community, is a course at Ball State University in the Department of English. An immersive, service learning opportunity, English 409 students meet with community members to write and create a collaborative story.

Muncie locals sometimes use the hashtag, #keepmuncieweird, on social media sites inspired the two story-telling prompts for the story gathering process:

- Tell us a story about what happened to you when something really weird or strange happened to you in Muncie, Indiana.

- Tell us a story about what happened to you when something really whimsical or wonderful happened to you in Muncie, Indiana.

We discovered our community partners and their stories in rehabilitation centers, riding city busses, resourcing at the public libraries, eating at local restaurants, exercising and creating art in community centers, and shopping in local stores. Their stories were uncovered by asking the two prompts above and then listening, taking notes, and collaboratively writing the stories with them. Trusting and generous with their stories and time, our partners range in age from 10 to 102.

Images created by a local artist accompany the spaces and places and people in the collection.