Beth Brown Preston

What’s your creative process like?

My creative process involves a daily writing practice. Not too long ago, I completed the manuscript of my debut novel — Circe’s Daughters — a work of historical literary fiction. I sincerely believe in the power of revision. I revised my novel three times. Also, when I write poetry, I am careful to rewrite those poems again and again. The same is true of my short stories. Of course, revising and rewriting slows down my process. However, the finished work aims at perfection.

Tell us about your path to writing or creating artwork.

I began writing poetry as a fifth grader in elementary school. I knew then there was something valuable in being able to create with language. In high school, I wrote book reviews for the school newspaper and edited the literary magazine. By that time, I was writing mature poetry and translating the classic Latin poets. College life encouraged my creative path and I received my first literary prize in fiction. Since that time, I have determined to become a poet and novelist despite numerous obstacles to my career as a writer.

Are any movies, music, books, or poetry collections (or any media at all, really) particularly inspiring to you?

I believe that reading opens the door to your mind and life. At this time, I am reading the poetry of Carl Phillips, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jericho Brown, and a great anthology of Black poets called This Is the Honey. Recently, I was introduced to the short fiction of Edward P. Jones — a miracle of inspiration. And, I read Toni Morrison, Jesmyn Ward and Isabel Allende — women novelists who create their own language in their work.

Beth Brown Preston is a poet and novelist with two collections of poetry from the Broadside Lotus Press and two chapbooks, including OXYGEN II (Moonstone Press, 2022). She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the MFA Writing Program at Goddard College. She has been a CBS Fellow in Writing at the University of Pennsylvania; and a Bread Loaf Scholar. Her work has been recognized by the Hudson Valley Writers Center, the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute, The Writer’s Center, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and by A Public Space. She has written a debut novel — CIRCE’S DAUGHTERS — a work of historical literary fiction. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in numerous literary and scholarly journals.

Read “The Painter” and “Collage” in our first issue.

Beth Brown Preston

What’s your creative process like?

My creative process involves a daily writing practice. Not too long ago, I completed the manuscript of my debut novel — Circe’s Daughters — a work of historical literary fiction. I sincerely believe in the power of revision. I revised my novel three times. Also, when I write poetry, I am careful to rewrite those poems again and again. The same is true of my short stories. Of course, revising and rewriting slows down my process. However, the finished work aims at perfection.

Tell us about your path to writing or creating artwork.

I began writing poetry as a fifth grader in elementary school. I knew then there was something valuable in being able to create with language. In high school, I wrote book reviews for the school newspaper and edited the literary magazine. By that time, I was writing mature poetry and translating the classic Latin poets. College life encouraged my creative path and I received my first literary prize in fiction. Since that time, I have determined to become a poet and novelist despite numerous obstacles to my career as a writer.

Are any movies, music, books, or poetry collections (or any media at all, really) particularly inspiring to you?

I believe that reading opens the door to your mind and life. At this time, I am reading the poetry of Carl Phillips, Gwendolyn Brooks, Jericho Brown, and a great anthology of Black poets called This Is the Honey. Recently, I was introduced to the short fiction of Edward P. Jones — a miracle of inspiration. And, I read Toni Morrison, Jesmyn Ward and Isabel Allende — women novelists who create their own language in their work.

Beth Brown Preston is a poet and novelist with two collections of poetry from the Broadside Lotus Press and two chapbooks, including OXYGEN II (Moonstone Press, 2022). She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the MFA Writing Program at Goddard College. She has been a CBS Fellow in Writing at the University of Pennsylvania; and a Bread Loaf Scholar. Her work has been recognized by the Hudson Valley Writers Center, the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute, The Writer’s Center, the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, and by A Public Space. She has written a debut novel — CIRCE’S DAUGHTERS — a work of historical literary fiction. Her work has appeared or is forthcoming in numerous literary and scholarly journals.

Read “The Painter” and “Collage” in our first issue.

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