Student, World Traveler, and Creative Writer.

By Carly A. Walters

For someone that is a creative writing major at the University of Michigan and currently living in France, Hayley Berkshire is pretty unsure of her career as a professional writer.
“I’ve lived in France two different times now, and have won a few awards for my writing, but there are so many people out there just like me. Why am I any different?” she said to me, via email correspondence. But to anyone that has read any of her work, her writing is astounding – bringing a new twist to modern literature. Both students and professors alike agree that Berkshire is going places, except for her.

History:
Berkshire took an interest in creative writing her senior year of high school when she was assigned a 50 page paper. “I’ve always been good at writing papers, but this was insane,” she said. “But the best part was we didn’t have to fill the pages. We could put whatever we wanted on the page, even if it was just a single word. This project really gave me the opportunity to think creatively and draw on all of my previous literary learning to create something beautiful.”
Because of this class, she chose creative writing as a career path. “I couldn't not do it. I always just wanted to be some sort of rich businesswoman with a smart pants-suit and a briefcase that matched my sensible pumps, but, when I realized that it would never happen, I decided to pursue the only thing that I loved to do, even if it meant I'd work as a Get 'Em 'N Go drive-thru clerk for most of my life,” said Berkshire. But her hard work has paid off more than once, but most notably at the University of Michigan.

Awards:
Berkshire has won the undergraduate poetry Hopwood award from University of Michigan, as well as honors from the Creative Writing Department at the University of Michigan. "I think I was most drawn to poetry because there weren't the limits that there is in traditional writing, such as punctuation and sentance structure. I like that there is mild chaos in my work; it makes it that much better," she said.

Future Plans:
Currently, Berkshire is spending her time in France to enhance her writing and "gain life experiences". She is taking a few classes but mostly absorbing the culture and taking the time to write her own story. She will be returning to the states in early August 2008 after spending a year in the south of France. Berkshire will be completeing her degree this year in Creative Writing at the University of Michigan. When asked what she is doing after college, she was happy to announce that she has a job offer at the university she is currently attending in France, and plans to move there right after she graduates.