Silvana Corrales Cantelmi came to 杏吧视频 to pursue biomedical engineering, ultimately planning to study gene editing. But their first SAGES course with Timothy Wutrich in the changed their plans.
Now a fourth-year student majoring in classics, world literature and French, Cantelmi has leveraged their interest in Greek tragedies to inspire their creative writing鈥攁 venture for which they were recently .
Their short story, 鈥淔irebug,鈥 brings to life two characters Cantelmi had been developing for some time. Drawn to dark, macabre stories, Cantelmi leaned into those themes when writing about Elijah and Silas鈥攅ach of whom have something to hide.
鈥淔irebug鈥 is New Jersey native Cantelmi鈥檚 first published work, but they are adamant it will not be their last. Set to graduate with their bachelor鈥檚 degree this spring, Cantelmi plans to attend graduate school to earn a Master of Fine Arts鈥攁nd continue their characters鈥 stories.
鈥溾楩irebug鈥欌 is only the beginning. Since the piece was written, and before it was even published, I鈥檝e taken a different version of the characters and put them in a book project,鈥 Cantelmi said. 鈥淲hile I鈥檝e written a manuscript-length story before, I plan for these characters, Elijah and Silas, to be the two protagonists in my debut novel. I hope you love the characters as much as I do! Happy reading!鈥
then learn more about Cantelmi鈥檚 writing and experiences at CWRU below.
1. When did you start writing? What do you enjoy most about it?
I suppose I鈥檝e always been a writer, albeit on and off throughout the years. I specifically remember writing a short story in fourth grade for our creative writing unit, and I remember taking it so seriously for such a young kid. Then in sixth grade, I distinctly remember a piece I wrote for a practice state exam. I had written a story set during The Dust Bowl in the 1930s in America. I think it was at that point that I decided I was serious about writing.
2. What interested you in pursuing world literature, classics and languages in college?
Having grown up in a trilingual and tricultural household, I have been around languages my whole life. My maternal grandparents are Honduran and my paternal grandparents Italian, while my parents spoke both their respective native languages and English. Because of my upbringing, I鈥檝e always had an ear for languages, picking them up piece by piece, either by myself or with help in the classroom. At this point, I can鈥檛 imagine my life being monolingual. I wouldn鈥檛 be who I am today without all the languages running around in my head.
3. What are your career aspirations? Do you hope to integrate your areas of study together?
Ideally, I would love to be a full-time author and dabble in the publishing industry. I want to be a part of helping others voice their stories, not just my own. I hope that my studies will help me in being able to recognize the power in each story I come across.
4. What is your short story about? What inspired you to write it?
鈥淔irebug鈥 is about the chance encounter between an arsonist and a man carrying a bag full of something that isn鈥檛 so nice, who catches him in the act. I have always been drawn to dark stories, and have studied many Greek tragedies to sate that curiosity. I like to tell narratives that are off-putting and even macabre. As for the inspiration of the characters? These two characters have been rolling around in my head for so long that I can鈥檛 quite remember a time before they existed.
5. Does it relate to your studies in classics and language?
Absolutely. I mentioned Greek tragedy, and I believe that my interest in such a genre has shaped the way that I write. I find myself drawing upon the classics when I am low on inspiration. I鈥檒l go back and read a favorite play, for example, even if it鈥檚 just to spark some vocabulary I can鈥檛 quite think of.
6. In what ways are you involved on campus?
I am the elementary and intermediate French tutor, as well as the elementary Italian tutor. I am on the executive board for the , and the current president of , the classics club. Come by to our meetings!
