Forty eyes are fixated on a short, blond woman wearing a bright red blazer. The divider between two classrooms is pulled apart in order to fit two sophomore English classes. Scanning the room, the woman comments that she’s never taught a class this size. But for Christine Beck, published poet, a room full of students ready to talk about writing process and poetry is why she is here.
It is rare that students have the opportunity to read poetry and then discuss the work with the original author, but Beck understands the impact that interaction can have on young writers. And she was eager to discuss the process of writing, offer advice to young poets, and explain her own background as a poet to give back to the poetic community.
Beck stressed the importance of workshopping writing. She disputed the notion that workshopping dilutes the integrity of a piece of writing, saying that it is the writer’s choice to take suggestions from other writers.
Workshopping writing was only one of her suggestions to aspiring writers. She also recommended that each writer find a way to keep themselves motivated to write. However, the piece of advice she pushed the most was that students keep writing until they surprised themselves.
“When my students hand in writing, I ask them to find the surprise,” Beck shared, “and if they cannot find it, then I tell them to keep writing.”
Well-qualified to give advice about poetry writing, Beck is the current President and Founder of the Greater New Haven Chapter of the Connecticut Poetry Society, as well as the author of a book of poetry, Blinding Light.
Surprisingly, this prolific poet did not begin her career as a poet until later in her life. Originally, she worked as a lawyer, once working in one of the country’s top law firms. It was not until later on, after her children were grown, that she decided to pursue poetry.
Prior to meeting Beck, students read her poetry on their own time. Students were able to discuss their interpretations of her work with Beck. Analyzing poetry with the original poet helped students find meaning in places where they did not originally see it.
“I looked deeper into her poetry because she explained it,” sophomore Julia Swiatek explained. “Her poems seemed simple at first but then I realized they had a deeper meaning.”
Sophomores were not the only ones who benefitted from Beck’s visit. After school, there was a poetry reading held in the Media Center, which was open to all grades. During the poetry reading, students were able to read their original poetry for Beck, other students, and teachers. Jon Ridge, junior, and Rose Reynolds, sophomore, both performed several pieces of poetry.
Following the student segment of the reading, Beck took to the podium once again. She expressively read a few of her favorite poems, written by other authors, as well as her own work.
The day had winded down; Beck was speaking in the Media Center rather than an oversized classroom, but several factors remained the same: eyes were fixated on the short, blond woman wearing a bright red blazer, while students and teachers alike were absorbed in the magic of spoken word.
Tina is the Executive Social Media Director, and in charge of managing Hawk Headlines. She has spent three full semesters here, and is heavily involved with theater. Tina describes herself as a "pop culture aficionado".
