Christine Beck uses her poems as a healing tool
Christine Beck reads poetry in order “to be touched by the experience of another person.”
During the past 20 years, she’s been writing poetry as well as reading it. Poet laureate of West Hartford from 2015-2017, Christine Beck now lives in Avon. Her poetry journey began when her job as an attorney ended due to the relocation of the company.
After years of writing legal briefs, she was ready to try a different sort of writing. Beck attended a writing conference sponsored by Wesleyan University in order to explore the possibilities of creative writing. There she met three poets, with whom she formed a writing group: Partners in Poetry. The group has grown to nine members and continues to meet regularly to share and workshop poems in progress.
In 2006 she became president of the Connecticut Poetry Society. The organization has regional chapters that meet to give members feedback on their work. It sponsors poetry contests, publishes an annual journal called Connecticut River Review, and it hosts various activities. Beck is still active in
CPS; her role now is that of director of a monthly program called POP, or Poets on Poetry, in which local poets guide discussions of the work of well-known poets. These programs are open to the general public, and five libraries in the state host them.
Beck earned an MFA in creative writing from Southern Connecticut State University. She began to teach creative writing as a university adjunct and published her first poetry book, “Blinding Light,” which weaves together themes of motherhood (her own and that of Mary, the mother of Jesus) along with reflections on experiences as a young girl in the Jehovah’s Witness denomination.
Beck is poetry editor of “The Perch,” a journal of The Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health. She has been involved with Alcoholics Anonymous and she started a meeting of Adult Children of Alcoholics.
Her own poetry has helped her uncover and process memories. This led her to focus on putting together her journey in 12-step recovery with poems she’d written. She began a group called Recovery Writers that meets monthly. Members write about many aspects of their addictions, including writing about their disappointments, their childhoods, and their search for spiritual fulfillment. She has a book forthcoming called “Beneath the Steps: A Writing Guide for 12-Step Recovery.”
Beck believes that “poetry is unique as a healing tool, not only for those with addictions, but for the world. Poetry can distill complex emotions into an image or phrase that connects with others, sparks a reaction, leads to a discovery.”