about callie bates
Callie Bates is a writer, harpist and certified harp therapist, sometimes artist, and nature nerd. When she’s not creating, she’s hitting the trails or streets and exploring new places. She lives in the Upper Midwest. She's the author of The Waking Land trilogy, available now from Del Rey Books: The Waking Land (2017), The Memory of Fire (2018), and The Soul of Power (2019).
Her short story "The Heart Box" appears in the Unfettered III anthology. She occasionally writes nonfiction that dives deep into reflections on creativity and spirituality. Her essays have appeared in Lion's Roar, The Best Buddhist Writing 2012, Messy Jesus Business, Women Writers, Women's Books, and on Medium, as well as other online journals.
The Waking Land series is represented by Hannah Bowman of Liza Dawson Associates.
Select Essays and Short Fiction Online:
New! I'm writing a Substack called The Tangled Path: unraveling the knots of creative and spiritual life. Sign up, it's free (for now)!
"Descending into the Rosary." My friend Sister Julia Walsh asked me to write about my non-traditional experience of praying the rosary.
"That Sublime Light." My near-death experience. I have a few other pieces on Medium as well, but am finding my stride on Substack.
"Creating from the Deep Well." How I write, why I write. June 2019.
"Crafting Resonance: Music & Writing." How music and writing are intertwined, for me. June 2018.
“The Purple Wig.” Reflections on a health crisis. The original essay appeared in Lion's Roar and was anthologized in The Best Buddhist Writing 2012. (What appears here is an excerpt, not the full essay.)
“Periodic Nightmares” in All Things Girl. (Their website is currently hacked.)
“The North Wind.” Musings on winter and why I'm sometimes pleased when there’s still snow in April.
“The Swans at Roxleigh.” In which tragedy befalls disaffected post-WWII people at a made-up stately home in England’s Lake District. Winner of the Nick Adams Short Story Contest.
