Discover the Next Generation of Christian Storytellers…
Featuring Calissa Ding
In middle school, Calissa Ding was the kid constantly holed up in her room with a book. Now a young adult, she draws on her Chinese-American heritage and fresh perspective on growing up to write whimsical, real-world stories kids can see themselves in.
When not writing, Calissa can be found hunting for matcha soft serve, touring the local thrift stores, or playing Chopin’s nocturnes on repeat. She also enjoys working with youth, both as a piano teacher and as a ministry volunteer.
About Her Short Story
Twelve-year-old Mari and her grandmother, Baba, shared a special place on a hill by the sea. There, they planted a cherry blossom tree together. There, Baba would close her eyes and tell stories about a home miles and years apart from them.
But now Baba is gone, the stories won’t bring her back, and a storm has badly battered the tree.
Desperate to keep this connection to her grandmother, Mari sets out to fix the damage. Sooner or later, though, she must face the fact that the tree isn’t simply broken. It’s dying, fading away like Baba did. And when her grandfather discovers her, Mari must decide if healing will start with pushing on alone, or with closing her eyes… and hearing another story.
Her Accomplishments
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Drafted six full-length novels, two short stories, and a novella
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Received three professional manuscript assessment letters and practiced editing on deadline
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Received and implemented numerous rounds of developmental feedback from professional editors
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Started a piano teaching business to practice in-person/online marketing skills and has taught over a dozen students
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Won writing competitions within The Young Writer’s Workshop in 2020 and 2021
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Attended the Write to Publish and HopeWords conferences in-person and virtually in 2024
Meet the 10 other authors in the anthology!
Rhianna
Ring-Howell
Gabriella
Banasik
Lyric
Rose
Zoe
Anastasia
Zach
Sollie
Ryan
Elizabeth
Rachel
Evans
Kristianne
Hassman
Juliet
Artman
Bailey
Gaines
Support the next generation of writers
100% of the proceeds from this anthology go toward helping up-and-coming writers attend writing conferences where they can pitch their work to agents and publishers.
About the Author Conservatory
Conservatory, noun: “A school specializing in one of the fine arts.”
The Author Conservatory is an online apprenticeship-modeled program that teaches students the writing & business skills they need to get published and support themselves financially. The Voices of the Future anthology features short stories from nine of our 2024 graduates.
