Finalist in the 2024 Nick Adams Short Story Contest
Read the story: The Inventor
More about Casey Barasch:
- Sophomore at Beloit College
- Majors: Education, Spanish, Creative Writing
- Hometown: Madison, WI
ACM: What sparked your interest in writing, and how did you get started writing fiction?
Barasch: I was a COVID teenager. My school shut down without warning, and online school just wasn’t enough to fill up the lengthening days in the spring of 2020. After about a month of absolutely nothing, I decided I might as well start writing. I had designed a fictional map the year before, but had been hesitating to write about it because I felt bound by arbitrary, self-imposed restrictions. But once I realized that I get to decide what the “rules” are in my writing, and change or scrap projects at will, the writing process became much faster and easier. I have been writing nonstop since then, and I have completed many short stories, and even some longer ones.
ACM: How have you developed your writing while you’ve been at Beloit?
Barasch:I did not intend to major in Creative Writing in addition to my other majors, but the faculty in the Creative Writing department at Beloit has helped connect me to so many resources related to writing and publishing that I would recommend it to anyone interested in writing of any kind. I also have been exposed to many new types of art overall while at Beloit, which has expanded my understanding of creative writing, while also providing me with the resources to refine my work.
