Judi K. Beach

Judi K. Beach always thought she'd be a teacher from the time she fell in love with the contents of her fourth grade teacher's desk: the stapler, paper clips, ruler and scissors; the grade book and that magical half red and half blue pencil; the chalk, the felt and the soft pink erasers; and the trough of pens and pencils. What she didn't plan on was becoming a writer even though she began her first novel the same year.

After a succession of jobs (retail clerk, jeweler, leatherworker, baker, seamstress, plant store owner and newspaper editor) she returned to school and earned a master's degree in Creative Arts Education from Rutgers University. As a writing center instructor at a New Jersey community college, she won the Innovator of the Year Award from the League for Innovation in Community Colleges for her part in the development of a program, Writers Read, which featured oral interpretation of the work of students, staff and faculty.

Since taking early retirement, she moved to Maine where she gives priority to her creative life. She is a poet and author and continues to teach at writing conferences throughout New England and the mid-Atlantic area including over twenty years for the International Women's Writing Guild. She hosts the weekly feature, The Poetry Pantry, on WERU FM radio in Orland, Maine, and has developed A Little Box of Possibilities, prompts for writing practice™ and The Write Deck, images for writing practice™.

You can contact Judi at judi@judikbeach.com