Angela Henkels Dale ’81: Writing Her Own Story

Angela Henkels Dale ’81 learned a lot about perseverance from her father, Paul M. Henkels ’38, over the years. Her father would often tell a story about learning the word ‘perseverance’ from the Sisters of Saint Joseph when he was a student at Norwood Academy – School for Boys, which later became NFA. It was that same perseverance that allowed Dale to reach a milestone achievement in her literary career when her debut picture book, Bus Stop, hit stands in the fall of 2022.

“I’d been writing picture books for about ten years before Bus Stop, my debut, was published,” said Dale, who worked for a literary agent in Washington, DC, and a book publisher in New York City before moving around the world with her family when her husband was in the Navy. “This is not an atypical timeline, but there are many ‘no’s’ along the way, and that can feel discouraging.”

Connecting with a literary agent was key for Dale’s progress.

“Most publishing houses do not accept unsolicited manuscripts, so having a literary agent is critical to getting your work into editors’ hands,” said Dale. “After scores of direct submissions to agents, and a few editors, starting in 2012, I signed with my first agent in 2019, and she submitted manuscripts to dozens of editors, resulting in an offer in January 2020 for Bus

Stop. However when the pandemic hit, the offer was tabled, but my agent stayed on top of things and completed the deal for Bus Stop that September, after which we parted ways amicably. The following year I continued to submit work to editors and agents, but racked up over 100 rejections with nary a yes. In early 2022, I received an offer for my second book and am now working with a wonderful agent who handled that contract and is sending out new work.”

Inspired by a new bus stop in her neighborhood, Dale sought to capture the energy in her debut book.

Dale started here at NFA at age 4 in the Montessori Preschool program. She has many wonderful memories of her time at NFA and one, not surprisingly, given her career choice, involved a book marathon during Lent in which she read a book a day.

Dale also fondly remembers “Mrs. Moy, Miss Liz, Sister Joan Rosaire and Mrs. Carney in Montessori, Mrs. Siegl for art and Sister Rose Phillipine for French (always with bonbons for Snoopy), and Mrs. Miller in grades 4–6. In 7th and 8th grade I loved to walk from the Fontbonne Campus up to the Big House to take math with George Aspen and social studies with Chuck Seaton. The uniform shoes were perfect for sliding down Caryl Lane on snowy days.”

As an enthusiastic Montessori student, she distinctly remembers learning to read and write in preschool Montessori.

“I was hooked — though the word ‘picnic’ was a little tricky,” recalls Dale. “In Sister Joan Rosaire’s primary class, I remember writing long stories in my composition book, often going back to add more details in the margins. I loved doing Mrs. Miller’s book reports — the artistic covers were always a big deal.

“The independent, exploratory learning method of Montessori had a big influence on how I see the world. I’m led by curiosity and find joy in learning new things whether it’s how to execute something in the moment or how to master a subject or skill over years. So much of writing for publication is learned by doing, often without much external encouragement or even feedback. My Montessori teachers taught me to love the learning process as much as the outcome.”

Dale’s next book, Goodbye, Hello, will be published in 2024. It was inspired by her time traveling with her children from the United States to Japan and back again when her husband was in the Navy.