Just out., February 06, 2009, Page 41, Image 41

TERRY POE PHOT
FEBRUARY 6, 2009
justput, «1
of her artistic vision, Beal chose to keep
all of the decisions in her own hands by
self-publishing.
“1 self-published and marketed In Her
Eyes for a very specific reason. 1 wanted to
maintain control of the work. 1 wanted to
express myself without editing,” said Beal.
“I was concerned that an editor or publisher
would pick through the hx»k and discard
poems and ideas that were deemed to be
of no financial value and no popular value.
Healing circle.
Fire pit.
Prayer.
Activities, like long-forgotten dances,
Awaiting our participation.
Raising our voices
In unison, we shape the future
With our words.
Many of the Ixxik’s poems draw their force and
detail from the natural world and more pedestrian
objects of life, putting Beal’s work as a poet in
stark contrast to her work as a doctor.
“Pathology, of all the subspecialties in medi­
cine, deals primarily in science and scientific
pursuits. We do autopsies, evaluate tissues and
cells with a microscope, and direct the hospital
laboratories. This type of work has been satisfying
and rewarding for many years, but my happiness
now comes from the pursuit of art, not science,”
said Beal.
That is not to say that the experience of being
a doctor and of her life’s work studying the nature
of disease doesn’t creep into her newfound artistic
pursuit.
“My work as a pathologist has, in part,
influenced my writing,” said Beal.‘“I wrote some
poems about death and birth. I wrote some poems
about corpses and autopsies. These more morbid
subjects are balanced with works about love and
compassion and life.”
Instead of following the more traditional
publishing route and running the risk of having
to modify her work for a publisher at the cost
1 hope I have maintained the integrity of
the fxxik with this attempt.”
In addition to the healing Beal has found
in her work, she also hopes to use her work
to heal others in both tangible and intangi­
ble ways. She has given proceeds from hxik
signing events to Portland Women’s Crisis
Line and Salem Hospital’s Cancer Institute. She
has also used local promotional readings to part­
ner with other artists such as singer/songwriter/
p<K*t Paula Sinclair and Salem p<x.‘t John Edge.
“The convergence of art with philanthropy is
an aim of mine,” said Beal. “The love and con­
nection which is generated by giving spreads like
rings on a pond.”
Beal also believes she can be of more service
as a writer in the world by sharing her story,
knowing that sometimes the specifics of the
experience aren’t as important as the model of
learning from it.
“Many people have had difficult and pain­
ful journeys. My experiences are not unique, but
are shared by the collective,” said Beal. “I want
to lead a path through the forest of troubles and
make rhe journey easier for others.”
Cancer-free for more than two years, Beal lives
in Salem with her partner and three stepchildren,
also spending time in Newport. In her post­
retirement life, in addition to writing, she and her
partner show Appaloosa horses. ©
Gregory Vajda, conductor
Dianne Reeves, vocals
Tickets start at $25
Oregon Symphony
( 4 « l O i ► A I M A K
OrSymphony.org
MUSIC 0 ■ « tl t 0 Ä
503-228-1353
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Ticket Office Hours: 10 am-6 pm M-F & 9 am-5 pm Sat
503-790-ARTS
ARLENE SCHNITZER CONCERT HALL
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More poetry from M elissa B eal can be found online
at www.melissabeal.com. In Her Eyes is available at
In Other Winds and Powell's in Portland as well as
Tea Party Bookshop in Salem. It can also be found
online at www.iuniverse.com, www.bn.com and
www.amazon.com.
K ristin S teele is a Portland writer and educator.
Her work has appeared online, onstage and in
newspapers, magazines and anthologies.
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