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Local author and Northwest College alum Callie Ann Atkinson will be the featured speaker at the next Writers Series event, scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 13, on the NWC campus. The free event runs from 6-8 p.m. in the Hinckley Library Amphitheater.

Growing up on a small farm in Belfry, Montana, Atkinson spent her childhood outdoors, inspired by her biologist parents who fostered her love for nature and encouraged her to express herself in writing. Fascinated by the magic of words from before she could even write, she focused her education on creative writing, first earning an Associate of Arts from Northwest College, and later a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Montana, an MFA in Poetry from Spalding University, and an MFA in Fiction from the University of Montana as well.

After completing her studies, Atkinson moved back to the farm where she grew up where and built a tiny house in which she lives with three English Shepherds, Missy, Brydie, and Aoife. She teaches English at Joliet Public Schools in Joliet, Montana, coaches cross-country, and is a semi-competitive ultramarathoner. Her writing has appeared in Farming Magazine, the Small Farmers Journal, the Whitefish Review, the Best Emerging Poets (Z Publishing), and the Louisville Review. Her debut novel, “The George Story,” was published by Spellbound Publishing House on Nov. 7, 2024.

The novel is based on family stories about Atkinson’s great-great-great uncle, George Atkinson. It initially began as a short story and over time expanded into a novel. It weaves together the family stories with historical documents and events, filling in gaps with imagined scenes, characters, and conversations. The novel is Atkinson’s attempt to keep alive the stories which her grandfather told, and to not lose sight of the history that shapes us.