A little disclaimer before we start: this is a revisited version of a post I originally wrote for my journalism website. I wanted to bring it over here because I think it says a lot about who I am as a writer and how the different sides of my writing have shaped me.

So, while some of these thoughts started somewhere else, they feel especially at home here.

For a long time, I thought I had to choose between these two perspectives, between facts and feelings, headlines and heart. But I’ve learned that being both a journalist and a poet isn’t a contradiction; it’s a strength that I should be proud of.

When I’m reporting, I search for clarity, evidence, and truth. I ask questions. I verify. I distill complexity into something others can understand. I get facts, and I bring them to the public in an easy manner that they all can understand, not only the facts, but also the world around them.

Journalism is as much about the writing as it is about the story for me. Being a journalist taught me to write under pressure but still maintain the utmost attention to the words I would put on paper. Listening to people and trying to convey their every thought into words was a big challenge since I couldn't boil it into much prose because it was hard news. It felt that way because journalists have codes and responsibilities towards their readers. It made me understand that my writing had to mean something. A message had to cross from my words to my readers' minds.

When I’m writing poetry, I lean into ambiguity. I sit with questions. I notice the quiet things others might miss. I let emotion lead the way. I create even more questions that might not have been thought of before.

Poetry taught me to believe in what I feel could become beautiful art. I knew how to feel my writing with poetry before I ever knew how journalism worked. I started writing poetry at 14, while I only started journalism at college when I was 18. I have always been a girl who loves to dream and use my imagination. So, putting that onto a blank page makes all possibilities reachable to me. With poetry, I learned that a feeling well described can also change a person's life. I certainly changed mine.

Switching between these roles makes me better at both. Journalism teaches me precision. Poetry reminds me of nuance. Together, they help me tell stories that inform and move people.

So, journalism and poetry aren't two different and competitive identities I need to switch back and forth between. I used to think that because that's how we've always known: in front of the camera there's a journalist who says the news and serious things. Then you go home, and there's a poet ready to write her imagination away. What I didn't realize before was that the root for me loving and pursuing both was that at the end of the day…I am a writer.

I've always been a writer, but I also always downplayed my abilities. I wrote poems, and on the side I also wrote fanfiction about characters and worlds I loved, but somehow the world convinced me I wasn't enough to be a writer. But all that journey led me to today, in which I have this successful Substack, two poetry collections, one novel, and three short stories all published and started independently. I am proud of being a writer.

I still switch back and forth as I need with the audience I am writing for. But now, I also understand that I am not a divided writer, and each part doesn't have to fight to be predominant in my life. I can make them work all under one same label — Bea, the writer.

If you liked the post, here are other ones you may enjoy as well:

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

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Hey readers,

Now that we’ve all read the eighth chapter, it’s time to talk about it.

If you haven’t read it yet, here is the link to it:

Poole arrives at Utterson’s home terrified, convinced that something has happened to Dr. Jekyll. When they return to Jekyll’s house, Poole explains that whoever is locked inside the laboratory doesn’t sound or look like his master and has been desperately searching for a specific chemical.

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Hey readers,

Welcome to the eighth week of Bea’s Chapter Reading Club!

Grab your favorite drink, find your favorite reading spot, and enjoy the eighth chapter.

Chapter Eight: The Last Night

Mr. Utterson was sitting by his fireside one evening after dinner, when he was surprised to receive a visit from Poole.

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If you haven't upgraded your subscription yet to continue reading this fun and dramatic love story, here it is:

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Hope you enjoy this chapter!

impossible love - chapter 2

Savannah’s POV

“Nice to meet you, Savannah Black.”

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It has been a while since we’ve talked about a book trope here, so today we are changing that!

Let’s talk about a trope where the love story has already happened once, the hearts have been broken, and somehow these two people find their way back to each other anyway.

The Second Chance Romance trope is all about two people who have history. They loved each other in the past, whether they were childhood sweethearts, exes, almost-lovers, or the right people who met at completely the wrong time. Something pulled them apart, but when life brings them together again, they are forced to confront the feelings they thought had faded.

And that is exactly what makes this trope hurt so GOOD.

Unlike two characters falling in love for the first time, these characters already know what it feels like to love each other. They know each other’s habits, weaknesses, favorite things, and exactly which buttons to push. There is nostalgia mixed with resentment, attraction tangled up with heartbreak, and usually one enormous question hanging over everything: Could we actually get it right this time?

Let’s break down why we keep coming back to second-chance romance stories:

1. History = instant emotional stakes: These two aren’t strangers; they have memories, inside jokes, old wounds, and an entire relationship sitting between them. Every interaction means something because there is always a past underneath it.

2. The “I never stopped loving you” of it all: Maybe they dated other people or convinced themselves they had moved on. But then they see each other again, and suddenly all those feelings they buried come rushing right back. Delicious.

3. Angst, angst, and MORE angst: Someone left or got hurt. Something went terribly wrong, so now they have to actually deal with it. Give me the arguments. Give me the regret. Give me the “you broke my heart” conversation!

4. They have to fall in love with who they are NOW: This is probably my favorite part of the trope because people change. They aren’t the same people they were during their first relationship. They have grown, changed, and lived entire lives apart. The second chance isn’t just about rediscovering an old love, but about deciding whether their new versions still belong together.

5. The moment they realize this time is different: There is always that moment when nostalgia stops being the reason they’re holding on. Suddenly, they’re not trying to recreate what they had, but they are building something better.

If you love this trope as much as I do, here are some must-read books that will make you believe some love stories really do deserve another chapter:

1. Forget Me Not by Julie Soto - Ama and Elliot are exes who end up working together on the same wedding: she’s the wedding planner, and he’s the florist. Their past slowly unfolds while they’re forced to work side by side, bringing back all the tension, hurt, and feelings they definitely haven’t forgotten.

2. Final Offer by Lauren Asher - Cal returns to Lake Wisteria and finds himself back in the life of Alana, the woman he loved and hurt years ago. There is A LOT of history between these two, which makes their reconciliation much more complicated than simply realizing they still have feelings for each other.

3. Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman - A journalist interviews a famous actor, spends an unforgettable weekend with him, and then reconnects with him ten years later for another interview. Told between the past and present, we slowly discover what actually happened between them and whether the connection they had all those years ago ever truly disappeared.

4. Persuasion by Jane Austen - The OG second-chance romance! Anne Elliot was persuaded to break off her engagement to Frederick Wentworth when they were younger. Eight years later, he comes back successful, wealthy, and apparently very much over her. Except...it is more complicated than that. Proof that we’ve apparently been obsessed with the “I never stopped loving you” trope for centuries.

5. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams - A different kind of second chance because these two never actually broke up! Gavin’s marriage is falling apart, and when he realizes he could lose his wife, he joins a secret romance-book club made up of men who use romance novels to help them understand their relationships. Instead of rekindling an old romance, this one is about fighting to save the love you already have.

What about you? Do you love or hate this trope? Have you read any of these books or have a new recommendation? Tell me all in the comments!

Leave a comment

Here are other book tropes post if you enjoyed this one:

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

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Photo credit: Bea Barros.

Today I wanted to just talk about a very controversial subject in the reading space: the reading goal.

I know it sounds stupid to say that this is a controversial matter, but it actually is — even more now that we keep on comparing our lives to those that we see online.

For the past couple of years, I have been setting my goal at 100 books and hitting it at about this time of the year. However, 2026 has not been joking much with me. I have been so busy with my personal life, and reading has actually moved down on my priorities list.

Don't get me wrong, I have been reading constantly still, but I am not devouring books or filling up my life with different ARCs and trying to manage my mental health with deadlines I've put on myself.

It was early July when I saw I had read just a few books over 40 and looked at my goal of 100. I knew I couldn't keep that pressure on me or just read any slops because I needed to reach that goal.

So I changed it.

I set my new goal to 75, which I believe is still doable. I kid you not, the second I pressed confirm on the goal change, a weight was lifted from my shoulders. I felt like I could breathe and enjoy the rest of my journey reading this year.

Now you may ask, how come you aren't reading that many books anymore? The truth is that I feel like I got burned out with social media book recs and endless romances I had been reading. I felt overwhelmed by reading the same thing over and over, and believe it or not, I kinda like the direction my reading has taken this year.

I started a post-grad certification in marketing this year, and I found out I LOVE marketing books. They are always insightful and interesting in a way I never thought of them before.

I have also started my chapter book club with a classic I had never heard of before…and it has been such a rich and entertaining story that I can't wait to reach the end of it.

All of these new reads have been the best part of my reading goal. It has been making me try more genres and writing styles, and even the textbooks and “for dummies” have been an interesting addition to my portfolio.

Most have definitely been okay, mid, or even somewhat good, but at least I feel like I've tried a bit more than my usual 90 romances. I still read them, though; I love a good love story, but that is all I was reading for a while.

So, yes. I changed my reading goal, and I survived. And if you are in a similar situation, just know that there is no shame in doing so. I'm here as living proof. But then again, I just have to reiterate that doing this has been making me a better adventurous reader, which is DEFINITELY making me a better writer.

If you have an opinion on this topic or want to share about your own experience, please do so here in the comments and let's chat!

Leave a comment

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

Instagram: @beawritesandreads

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Website: Bea Writes And Reads

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Graphic credit: Bea Barros (featuring…my actual Goodreads screenshots)

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Hey readers,

Now that we’ve all read the seventh chapter, it’s time to talk about it.

If you haven’t read it yet, here is the link to it:

During their usual Sunday walk, Mr. Utterson and Mr. Enfield once again pass the mysterious door where this entire story began.

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Hey readers,

Welcome to the seventh week of Bea’s Chapter Reading Club!

Grab your favorite drink, find your favorite reading spot, and enjoy the seventh chapter.

Chapter Seven: Incident Of The Window

It chanced on Sunday, when Mr. Utterson was on his usual walk with Mr. Enfield, that their way lay once again through the by-street; and that when they came in front of the door, both stopped to gaze on it.

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Here is a little summary of the story that's here to come:

Savannah knows getting involved with Cedric Diggory is a bad idea. What she doesn’t expect is to actually fall in love with him.

As their relationship grows from flirting and stolen moments into something real, Savannah finds herself caught between the life she has always known and the boy who makes her want something different. Cedric knows she is keeping things from him—he just doesn’t know how dangerous those secrets really are.

Set during the events of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Impossible Love is a Cedric Diggory fanfiction about first love, complicated loyalties, terrible decisions, and what happens when the person you were never supposed to love becomes the person you can’t imagine losing.

Hope you enjoy it!

And if you haven't upgraded yet to keep on following the story, here is your chance:

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Here is an old poem of mine.

I found it in my notes app, and I thought I should share it with you all!

The sun is shining

and I’m smiling

and also admiring

the colors of it in the morning

the clouds are here

but with no tears

the sky isn’t fear

this scene could happen for years

the trees are bigger

and the flowers are getting better,

they’re just a feeling keeper

I wanna be a part of it, stay together

The nature is my friend

This scene unfortunately has an end

But I’ll keep this draw in my hand

And with the art, I stand.

If you liked this poem, here are other ones I wrote too:

My first poetry collection, click here.

My second poetry collection, click here.

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

Instagram: @beawritesandreads

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Website: Bea Writes And Reads

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There’s a side of my writing I haven’t shared here yet…I used to write fanfiction on Wattpad.

And not just a random scene here and there. I have written entire stories. Long ones. Complicated ones. Stories with original and borrowed characters, romances, new plots, subplots, ridiculous amounts of lore, and enough drama to keep me entertained for a very, very long time.

Fanfiction has always been one of the places where I have the most fun as a writer.

There is something so freeing about stepping into a world I already love and asking, What else could happen here?

What if I introduced someone new? What if this character fell in love with someone completely unexpected? What if something happened differently? What was happening somewhere else while the original story was unfolding?

And then, because apparently I am incapable of keeping anything simple, those little questions turn into very big stories.

For a long time, though, that part of my writing has existed separately from Bea Writes & Reads.

So, I’ve decided to change that.

My fanfics are coming to Substack 🤍

I’m going to start bringing my fanfiction over to Bea Writes & Reads and creating a little fanfic library right here.

The fanfics will be part of my paid tier, which means paid subscribers will be able to read the full stories as I begin bringing them onto Substack.

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I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want my paid subscription to actually be. I don’t want it to exist just for the sake of putting random posts behind a paywall. I want subscribing to give you access to something genuinely extra, something that you wouldn’t otherwise get from Bea Writes & Reads.

And I realized I already had something perfect for that: An entire collection of stories I’ve never shared with you.

Some are enormous. Some are more chaotic than others. Some have years of ideas tangled inside them. Some have original characters that I love just as much as characters from my own books.

And, most importantly, some of my fanfics are genuinely among my favorite things I have ever written.

So instead of letting them continue living quietly on a platform where people are migrating out of, I want to give them a home here.

Romance. Obviously.

Drama. Also obviously.

Original and borrowed characters, alternate storylines, new relationships, familiar characters, complicated plots, questionable decisions, probably an unreasonable amount of lore, and me taking fictional worlds I love and asking what if? approximately five hundred times.

Basically, you’re getting another version of me as a writer. My original fiction lets me build a world from nothing or an existing base that I change to fit in the story I want to tell.

I’m really excited to finally bring this part of my writing to Bea Writes & Reads and maybe introduce some of you to stories and characters that have existed for much longer than you realize.

So, consider this your official announcement:

The Bea Writes & Reads fanfic library is coming. 📚

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

Instagram: @beawritesandreads

YouTube: Bea Writes And Reads

Website: Bea Writes And Reads

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Hey readers,

Now that we’ve all read the sixth chapter, it’s time to talk about it.

If you haven’t read it yet, here is the link to it:

For a little while, everything finally seemed to be getting better. Mr. Hyde had completely disappeared after the murder of Sir Danvers Carew, and without his influence, Dr. Jekyll seemed to return to his old self. He spent time with friends again, became more social, and appeared happier and healthier.

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Hey readers,

Welcome to the sixth week of Bea’s Chapter Reading Club!

Grab your favorite drink, find your favorite reading spot, and enjoy the sixth chapter.

Chapter Six: Incident Of Dr. Lanyon

Time ran on; thousands of pounds were offered in reward, for the death of Sir Danvers was resented as a public injury; but Mr. Hyde had disappeared out of the ken of the police as though he had never existed. Much of his past was unearthed, indeed, and all disreputable: tales came out of the man’s cruelty, at once so callous and violent; of his vile life, of his strange associates, of the hatred that seemed to have surrounded his career; but of his present whereabouts, not a whisper. From the time he had left the house in Soho on the morning of the murder, he was simply blotted out; and gradually, as time drew on, Mr. Utterson began to recover from the hotness of his alarm, and to grow more at quiet with himself. The death of Sir Danvers was, to his way of thinking, more than paid for by the disappearance of Mr. Hyde. Now that that evil influence had been withdrawn, a new life began for Dr. Jekyll. He came out of his seclusion, renewed relations with his friends, became once more their familiar guest and entertainer; and whilst he had always been known for charities, he was now no less distinguished for religion. He was busy, he was much in the open air, he did good; his face seemed to open and brighten, as if with an inward consciousness of service; and for more than two months, the doctor was at peace.

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This year, I decided to do a summerween TBR — which is crazy because, if you know me, I am the biggest mood reader ever, haha!

But alas, here are the recommendations based on the books I selected to read for summerween and their official summaries:

1- The Prime Of Miss Jean Brown by Muriel Spark:

She was a schoolmistress with a difference. Proud, cultured, romantic, her ideas were progressive, even shocking. And when she decided to transform a group of young girls under her tutelage into the "creme de la creme" of Marcia Blaine school, no one could have predicted the outcome.

2- A Dark And Drowning Tide by Allison Saft:

Lorelei Kaskel, a folklorist with a quick temper and an even quicker wit, is on an expedition with six eccentric nobles in search of a fabled spring. The magical spring promises untold power, which the king wants to harness to secure his reign of the embattled country of Brunnestaad. Lorelei is determined to use this opportunity to prove herself and make her wildest, most impossible dream come to become a naturalist, able to travel freely to lands she’s only ever read about.

The expedition gets off to a harrowing start when its leader—Lorelei’s beloved mentor—is murdered in her quarters aboard their ship. The suspects are her five remaining expedition mates, each with their own motive. The only person Lorelei knows must be innocent is her longtime academic rival, the insufferably gallant and maddeningly beautiful Sylvia von Wolff. Now in charge of the expedition, Lorelei must find the spring before the murderer strikes again—and a coup begins in earnest.

But there are other dangers lurking in the forests that rearrange themselves at night, rivers with slumbering dragons waiting beneath the water, and shapeshifting beasts out for blood.

As Lorelei and Sylvia grudgingly work together to uncover the truth—and resist their growing feelings for one another—they discover that their professor had secrets of her own. Secrets that make Lorelei question whether justice is worth pursuing, or if this kingdom is worth saving at all.

3- Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier:

The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave.

4- The Marble Queen by Anna Kopp and Gabrielle Kari:

Princess Amelia’s kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad—a country shrouded in mystery—Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life.

But she lands on Iliad’s shores to find that her betrothed isn't the country’s prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira.
​
Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen's sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife's, all while war looms on the horizon.

5- The Ghosts Of Rose Hill by R M Romero:

Sent to stay with her aunt in Prague and witness the humble life of an artist, Ilana Lopez—a biracial Jewish girl—finds herself torn between her dream of becoming a violinist and her immigrant parents’ desire for her to pursue a more stable career.

When she discovers a forgotten Jewish cemetery behind her aunt’s cottage, she meets the ghost of a kindhearted boy named Benjamin, who died over a century ago. As Ilana restores Benjamin’s grave, he introduces her to the enchanted side of Prague, where ghosts walk the streets and their kisses have warmth.

But Benjamin isn't the only one interested in Ilana. Rudolph Wassermann, a man with no shadow, has become fascinated with her and the music she plays. He offers to share his magic, so Ilana can be with Benjamin and pursue her passion for violin. But after Ilana discovers the truth about Wassermann and how Benjamin became bound to the city, she resolves to save the boy she loves, even if it means losing him—forever.

6- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Have you ever read any of these? If so, let me know in the comments!

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And if you are looking for even more book recs, here are other posts:

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

Instagram: @beawritesandreads

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Website: Bea Writes And Reads

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Photo credit: Bea Barros (aka my reading journal)

I am so excited to do another book review for you guys finally! It had been a while since I read a book worthy of a fun review!

As soon as I opened Sunrise On The Reaping by Suzanne Collins, I knew this book was a 5-star read!

Many of you might have followed my journey from starting to finishing this book through the many notes I have posted here, but I just wanted to actually lay out my opinion a bit more and review this masterpiece!

This book didn't just get the highest rating in my stars; it is easily one of my favorite books of the year.

Certain authors remind me why I love writing in the first place, and Suzanne Collins is one of them. Every time I read one of her books, I finish it wanting to work on my own stories. There is something about the way she writes that makes storytelling feel exciting again. Her writing is incredibly intentional without feeling like it is trying too hard to be clever. There are layers underneath everything, like the characters, the politics, the relationships, and I always find myself thinking about her choices as a writer long after I finish reading.

Sunrise on the Reaping did exactly that to me. I even have continued working on a novella I will be publishing next year! [beware of that and read my backlog before that too :) ]

But beyond admiring the writing, this book completely changed the way I look at Haymitch Abernathy.

Obviously, if you have read The Hunger Games, you already know some of Haymitch’s story. I knew the basics of what happened to him before going into this book (such as his games having double the tributes and a bit about his family). I just never figured out how brutal his Games had been. I knew enough to understand that the Haymitch we meet years later is the result of an enormous amount of trauma.

Knowing what happened, though, is completely different from living through it with him. And that was probably my favorite part of this book.

Getting to know Haymitch before he became the man we meet in The Hunger Games was heartbreaking because you can see so much of the person he used to be underneath the person he eventually becomes. Suddenly, his behavior in the original trilogy makes even more sense. His anger makes more sense. His drinking makes more sense. His cynicism makes more sense. Even the ways he cares about Katniss and Peeta — even in different ways — make more sense.

It made me think about just how much Haymitch had already lost before Katniss Everdeen ever volunteered at that Reaping. What I will say, though, is that I feel like Haymitch might have been hopeful ever since that “I volunteer” moment. He had tried to make the change, but it didn't happen in a way he knew how to be useful. That life had chosen him out of an unlucky moment. He was never reaped nor volunteered. He was just at the wrong place, at the wrong time, trying to do the right thing.

Even so, one of the things I loved most about Haymitch was his bravery, especially because I don’t think he would ever describe himself as brave. He isn’t the kind of character who walks around believing he is a hero. If anything, he seems much more likely to focus on everything he couldn’t do, everyone he couldn’t save, and every moment when he believes he failed.

But that is exactly what made his courage stand out to me. Haymitch keeps trying. He thinks. He questions. He pushes against the Capitol in whatever ways he can. Even when he understands how little power he actually has, there is still a part of him that refuses to simply accept what is happening around him.

And knowing the consequences that resistance eventually brings makes his choices even more devastating. The last two chapters of the book had me crying so many rivers.

There is also something particularly painful about reading a Hunger Games story when you already know the future. With Katniss, there was always the question of what would happen next. With Haymitch, I already knew the person he would eventually become and that the Capitol would still host twenty-five other games until it got stopped.

I think that another reason why this book worked so well for me and felt like a great back story is that Collins wasn’t simply giving us information about a character’s past, but showing us how that character was created. And that is such an important distinction.

Collins never seems interested in expanding Panem simply because people want more Hunger Games. Every time she returns to this world, there is something she wants us to examine. Power. Propaganda. Control. Resistance. The stories people tell about themselves and the stories governments tell about them.

That is probably another reason her books leave me wanting to write. They remind me that a story can be entertaining while still having something to say.

I went into this book already liking Haymitch. I finished it loving him even more and feeling like I finally understood the person underneath all of the sarcasm, alcohol, anger, and hopelessness we see in The Hunger Games.

This book was fantastic, and if you read it too and have opinions about it, please let's chat in the comments!

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And if you like my book reviews, here are other ones:

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

Instagram: @beawritesandreads

YouTube: Bea Writes And Reads

Website: Bea Writes And Reads

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Photo credit: Bea Barros.

Here is an old poem of mine.

I think it is very cute, and recently I stumbled into it on my notes app, and I thought it was worth sharing with you.

There it is, something in your eyes

Creating something in my mind

That doesn’t make me cry

It makes my brain smile

Happiness is happening

Not a usual thing

I swear I am not faking it

Must be love I am feeling

This feeling, I feel changing me

Nothing like what I’ve seen

But with this I could be

Love is what I believe

Hope you liked it! And if you did, here are a few other ones I wrote:

My first poetry collection, click here.

My second poetry collection, click here.

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

Instagram: @beawritesandreads

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Hey readers,

Now that we’ve all read the fifth chapter, it’s time to talk about it.

If you haven’t read it yet, here is the link to it:

After the brutal murder of Sir Danvers Carew, Mr. Utterson visits Dr. Jekyll and finds his friend looking extremely sick and shaken by everything that has happened.

Jekyll assures Utterson that his relationship with Hyde is over and insists that Hyde will never be seen again. He also claims that he has received a letter from Hyde saying that Jekyll shouldn’t worry about him because he has a way to escape.

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_{📚 This post is a preview for free subscribers. Paid subscribers can continue reading below and enjoy full access to exclusive essays, my weekly Chapter Reading Club, book discussions, and other subscriber-only content. Thank you for supporting Bea Writes and Reads. ❤️}

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Hey readers,

Welcome to the fifth week of Bea’s Chapter Reading Club!

Grab your favorite drink, find your favorite reading spot, and enjoy the fifth chapter.

Chapter Five: Incident Of The Letter

It was late in the afternoon, when Mr. Utterson found his way to Dr. Jekyll’s door, where he was at once admitted by Poole, and carried down by the kitchen offices and across a yard which had once been a garden, to the building which was indifferently known as the laboratory or dissecting rooms. The doctor had bought the house from the heirs of a celebrated surgeon; and his own tastes being rather chemical than anatomical, had changed the destination of the block at the bottom of the garden. It was the first time that the lawyer had been received in that part of his friend’s quarters; and he eyed the dingy, windowless structure with curiosity, and gazed round with a distasteful sense of strangeness as he crossed the theatre, once crowded with eager students and now lying gaunt and silent, the tables laden with chemical apparatus, the floor strewn with crates and littered with packing straw, and the light falling dimly through the foggy cupola. At the further end, a flight of stairs mounted to a door covered with red baize; and through this, Mr. Utterson was at last received into the doctor’s cabinet. It was a large room fitted round with glass presses, furnished, among other things, with a cheval-glass and a business table, and looking out upon the court by three dusty windows barred with iron. The fire burned in the grate; a lamp was set lighted on the chimney shelf, for even in the houses the fog began to lie thickly; and there, close up to the warmth, sat Dr. Jekyll, looking deathly sick. He did not rise to meet his visitor, but held out a cold hand and bade him welcome in a changed voice.

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Much of the discussion in this post is inspired by Dustin Harp, Ingrid Bachmann, and Jaime Loke's study, Where Are the Women? The Presence of Female Columnists in U.S. Opinion Pages, which examines the continued underrepresentation of women on opinion pages in major U.S. newspapers.

It is not a secret that men are often found in job positions that are considered more powerful and valuable. In a newsroom, it is no different, except that prejudice against women does not stop in the job positions; the topics women and men cover are relatively different. For many years, men used to write columns in newspapers about politics, economics, hard news, sports, business, and world affairs, as opposed to women, who used to write, if they had a chance of having a column, about trivial and household matters, such as education, relationships, lifestyle, health, and feminine affairs.

After years of revolution and protests for representation, women in the media started to have more voice in topics that were often characterized by a male writer. Women broadened their columns to talk about politics, business, economy, and sports more recently. However, it is not the preference of news outlets and newsrooms to hire women to talk about sports, for example. Unfortunately, as it is, this is a practice that still happens, even though it is the second decade of the 2000s, which is said to be the most modern of times.

This article also touches base with the “feminine touch,” which means when women write stories about serious and important matters but show a different and often characterized as soft point of view. This “touch” of softness and bringing the news to an easy and fun understanding reminds me of the movie “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” in which Isla Fisher’s character Rebecca Bloomwood is a journalist fascinated by fashion and consumerism trying to be hired in a fashion magazine, but for a mistake ends up getting a job in a finance newspaper. Her job was to write a column on finance, but she would bring her fashion and “girly” experiences to a means to make statistics and whatever other subject fun.

The article, on the other hand, states that it is not as easy as it seems to land a job as a columnist if the journalist is a woman. In real-life newspapers, women in their twenties and with no experience in the section do not get the jobs, and if they do, they are exceptions. Women need experience, maturity, and their name recognized in the media for big stories; otherwise, they do not show enough credibility for the readers and people in job positions above them. In the text, a phrase that impacted my reading is that commentary-writing is not an entry-level job.

Not just in writing columns in newspapers, but there is a discrepancy between male and female. When it comes to citations, sources, personal anecdotes, statistical information, knowledge claims, and analysis, men are usually the dominant genre.

In general, newspapers seem to be trying to include women’s writing and authorship a little more in different topics that are often considered male-driven. It is not a win for women; it is a step closer towards it, since there are still obstacles to overcome, such as what it takes to be a female columnist, such as experience and fame. There are women in the newsroom working in “men's” jobs; they are only required to take more unfair steps to get there.

If you want to read more essays and more academic writing I did, here are some:

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

Instagram: @beawritesandreads

YouTube: Bea Writes And Reads

Website: Bea Writes And Reads

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As you might've realized, June didn't have any books that made me insanely love them to the point of posting book recs, so I decided to join it with July and see where this goes.

1- The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams: This book has been on my TBR since last year when my lovely man told me about it. He said it was very funny and fun, and so I finally took a chance on it. It didn't disappoint me, as I had such a great time reading the story and immersing myself in this wild galaxy adventure.

2- The Grimoire Grammar School Patent Teacher Association by Caitlin Rozakis: Funny enough, this book I bought when again — my lovely man — took me to the bookstore haha. This was just a book I had bought for the premise and fun cover, but it delivered such a good story and entertaining world that I already got her other book from my Libby app!

Well, I know this recommendation post is a bit short, but it is 100% honest! If you have read any of these books and want to chat, drop a comment! And you can also drop a comment saying if any of these interest you and you want to read them hahah!

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Check it out my other recent book recs posts:

Read you soon,

— Bea 💌
“Bea Writes and Reads” — exploring the world through words: one story at a time.

Instagram: @beawritesandreads

YouTube: Bea Writes And Reads

Website: Bea Writes And Reads

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Photos credit: Bea Barros.