It should not surprise you that senior Callie Bates is going on to pursue a career in creative writing: Both her parents are professional writers, her first attempt at writing a novel occurred at age 10, and her fiction has already been recognized as top-notch. Really, with all of that going for her, what else is a girl to do?
Though you might recognize her as a friendly face at the Mudd’s circulation desk, it is a well-known fact that Bates’ talents run far deeper than telling you the date when your book is due.
Admitted Bates, “I became interested in writing the summer I turned 10. I wanted to write a novel about a haunted castle – yes, a novel – it was long-winded from the start. I got about 30 pages in and lost interest, but it led to other projects.”
Even after this slight prepubescent setback, Bates remained undeterred and continued to write, to much more acclaim and with more success in recent years.
Two years ago, Bates won the Nick Adams Short Story Contest, sponsored by the ACM, for her work titled “The Swans at Roxleigh,” which was selected as the best entry out of 45 other stories. This award-winning story takes place in England’s Lake District at the end of the Second World War and follows a young woman trying to escape her past.
Bates’ newest work, a novella, doubles as her honors project. Explained Bates, “[The Swans at Roxleigh] actually fed into my novella/honors project. … After writing one story set during WWII, I wanted to explore the timeframe more and have a longer space to do it justice.”
“The Foothills of Olympus” is written in four parts, with the middle sections taking place in flashback, giving the readers insight into the protagonist’s past.
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