Louise Beach

"Despite having written a doctoral thesis on arguably the longest novel in the Western canon - Proust's A la recherche du temps perdu-- I prefer the concision and precision of poetry. A lyric poet, I write about the usual subjects of that genre: love and loss. Five years ago, at the age of 55 - having raised three daughters alone - I felt that I could finally devote myself to my writing. I collaborated with the composer, Bryan Page, on three works: a song-cycle, "Death of the Virgins", performed in Princeton, New Jersey in 2003; a liturgical piece, "singjoy", performed in Huntsville, Alabama in 2005; and a one-act opera based on Rilke's play, "The White Princess". I wrote the libretto for this last piece while in residence at The Anderson Center in September of 2005. In December of 2006, Finishing Line Press published Blue Skies, my first chapbook of poems. In January 2007, I completed an MFA degree in Poetry from Bennington College. My first full-length book, Intertidal, is presently making the rounds of publishers.