About Beth

At fourteen, Beth started an original project that became the base of her "old stories" pile. She wrote all through high school, considering it just a hobby until her freshman English teacher encouraged her in poetry. Beth entered her poetry in a few high-school-level contests and did admirably, but her real love was fiction.

Her junior year of high school, Beth took a writing class in New Orleans that left her more than a little grumpy. Though she considered the class and her classmates a private utopia, personal and philosophical differences with the two head teachers drove her to quit the class and embark on a few years of soul-searching.

While searching her soul, Beth joined her brother at a private Christian university and, of course, had the foresight to dress as a cow for Halloween. This caught the eye of a cute guy dressed as Indiana Jones. His group of friends caught Beth's eye: Squall Leonhart, Chairface Chippendale, and a giant daisy.

Two years later, the cow married Indiana Jones. A year after that, she graduated with a BA in English and a minor in Bible. Now she lives in Minnesota with her husband and two adorable cats.

Gratitude

Mrs. Winkler (my freshman & sophomore English teacher) is the reason I first considered writing as more than just a hobby. She was my greatest encouragement and is the reason I'm a writer today.

Mrs. Field (my junior & senior English teacher) saw the way I used nice-sounding but meaningless filler in my essays and forced me to learn a more precise way of writing. She is the reason I don't just slap words on paper and expect people to accept it.

Though my college writing teachers were wonderful and even my New Orleans writing teachers influenced me dramatically, these two women had the greatest impact.

Publications by Beth

• "What Makes a Hero." St. Charles Herald-Guide. Saturday, November 10, 2001.
• "Fire for the Lord." Harding University's The Bison. October 25, 2002.

Articles About Beth

• Gray, Leonard. "Teen Spotlight: Blevins recognized for outstanding writing ability." L'Observateur. Wednesday, October 31, 2001. Please note that I got details about the contest wrong. "School write-off" isn't accurate. We wrote timed essays in school to send in with an additional packet of work to be judged.
• Blevins, Elizabeth. "What Makes a Hero." St. Charles Herald-Guide. Saturday, November 10, 2001. The timed essay that Mr. Gray's article referenced. I only had an hour or two to write it, so forgive me if it could be better.

Education

• High School Degree, 3.86 GPA
• 1 semester at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA: Riverfront)
• BA in English / Minor in Bible, 3.89 GPA

College Honors

• Sigma Tau Delta
• Alpha Chi
• Dean's List
• Honors College Member

Awards

• Finalist, Letters for Literature (?? Year)
• Finalist, 2000 River of Words Poetry Contest
• Finalist, National Council of Teachers of English 2001 Achievement Awards in Writing
• 2nd Place, 2001-02 Louisiana State English III
• 2nd Place, Harding University's 2005-06 Jo Cleveland Creative Writing Contest, Nonfiction

Honorable Mentions

I was told in 11th grade that I was "one of the most promising poets of my age group" by the poet laureate of Utah.