Senior Annie Grimes is a Conway native double-majoring in creative writing and sociology while making an impact in her community through books. 

Though it was the only college she applied to, Grimes’ decision to attend the University of Central Arkansas turned out to be a great decision, allowing her to discover her future career. 

“I came to UCA with no clue what I wanted to major in, but after taking an intro to creative writing class and intro to sociology class, I fell in love with both of the subjects,” Grimes said.

Grimes grew up with a love of writing, and a special interest in social issues, leading her to pair the two majors together. 

“The theories and phenomena I learned about in my sociology classes informed my writing in a really profound way,” Grimes said. 

Her sociology and writing background have certainly influenced her life and the lives of others in Conway. 

When COVID-19 hit Conway, Grimes was bored at home when an idea hit her to use her time in quarantine in a way that would benefit others in her community. 

Her time in the house had reinvigorated her love for reading, and Grimes decided, “I wanted to share the magic of books with others in Conway.” 

Grimes began building a little library with her dad, a small structure with bookshelves inside. People that grab a book are encouraged to leave a book as well, making the library self-sufficient. 

Once Grimes emailed the parks department, they agreed it was a great idea, and the location was set for the Salem road entrance to the Tucker Creek Trail, which typically garners a lot of foot traffic. 

Grimes has set up an Instagram account for her little library, a “bookstagram”, where she’s made many friends who share a similar passion for books. 

“It has brought a lot of new books into my life, opened my life up to a corner of Instagram full of other people who also love to read, and honestly brought me so much joy,” Grimes said. 

The library has been up since August 2020, and Grimes still checks on the stock often to make sure there is a variety of books for all ages. 

Grimes considered what would happen to the little library after she graduated this May. She was accepted into the College of Charleston’s MFA program for fiction writing in the fall. 

“My professors in the creative writing and sociology departments at UCA were extremely helpful when it came to applying for grad school and writing recommendation letters,” Grimes said. 

Grimes said, “I am hoping to build up a good back catalog of books and leave them at my parents’ house, that way they can check on the library every once in a while.”

Grimes has spent a lot of time with fellow creative writers on UCA’s literary magazine, The Vortex, as a poetry and fiction reader. She is currently serving her final semester as the associate editor. 

“I have loved working on the magazine, and I’ve met a lot of great people through the process,” Grimes said.

When she graduates, Grimes plans to be an author and professor. 

“This is a very vague genre, but I would like to write contemporary novels — probably literary fiction, but maybe [young adult],” Grimes said. 

Though she loves sociology, teaching it at the collegiate level would require a graduate degree, which Grimes will already be pursuing in writing. 

Instead, she plans to teach English or creative writing and, if given the opportunity, would teach at UCA.

Grimes said, “I would love to teach at UCA someday. Conway will always be my home, and my heart will always be with the UCA writing community.”