Cicero Prep Teacher Publishes a Collection of Poetry in City Nave

Cicero Prep October 30, 2024 -

At Great Hearts academies, it is not only students who pursue Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Our faculty members are also on a journey of their own as lifelong learners. At Cicero Prep, Humane Letters Master Teacher Betsy Brown McClelland has taken her love of poetry to new heights, recently publishing her first collection, City Nave, under the pen name Betsy K. Brown. The book, available through Wipf and Stock, brings together poems on themes as varied as architecture, history, faith, life in Arizona, and her teaching experience at Great Hearts.

For Brown, poetry has always been a pivotal part of her life. “I began composing poetry when I was three or four. I was first inspired by my parents, who homeschooled us and read us a lot of poetry ranging from Ogden Nash to Dr. Seuss,” she recalled. “In eighth grade, I went through a phase when I decided to read and imitate Shakespeare—badly, but faithfully. I got a lot more serious about poetry in college and began to publish my work and run poetry events.”

The poems in City Nave were written over the course of a decade, with Brown dedicating a summer to carefully selecting and revising her best work for the collection. “Bookmaking in general has always been a passion of mine,” she shared. “I just love seeing a book, magazine, or curricular guide through to completion. There is something beautiful about making something that can outlive you.”

Brown’s experience teaching at Great Hearts Academies has greatly influenced her poetry. She began her career with Great Hearts in 2014 at Archway Veritas before joining Cicero Prep in 2015. “Both schools have deeply formed me. I met many of my best friends at Great Hearts, including my husband, and I have ongoing friendships with graduates and teachers who have moved away,” she said. “The stories of these loved ones, mostly unnamed, are woven throughout my poems in City Nave. Many of my poems also include literary and historical figures I have taught about over the years, including Gatsby, Antonia, Raskolnikov, Plato, and Dante.”

Brown said the most delightful parts of publishing a book are the initial inspiration and writing process, followed by the final celebration with friends and family once it’s released. “A lot of the middle parts are tedious work, but it’s all worth it,” she noted.

You can purchase your copy of City Nave at Wipf and Stock Publishers, Bookshop.org, or Amazon.

If you have a story you’d like to see featured by Great Hearts, please contact Jason Moore at jason.moore@greathearts.org.