Bryana Joy Beaird

I’ve been teaching and supervising kids in various roles for most of my adult life, from serving as a summer camp counselor at Camp War Eagle in Arkansas to participating in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program while I was a college student in Abilene, Texas. Since September 2021, I’ve been volunteering weekly at the Cumberland Gardens Boys & Girls Club where I run the art room and lead elementary and middle-school aged kids in drawing, painting, and crafting. I’m passionate about helping future generations develop the intellectual, emotive, and problem-solving skills I believe art-making can hone, and although I’m fairly new to the Lehigh Valley, my work with kids in the Allentown school district and my husband’s work as a high school government teacher at William Allen have given me a strong love for this community and a desire to see its children and teens thriving. In addition to my work with kids, I really enjoy sharing my specialized knowledge with other adults. I’ve been publishing my poetry since I was in high school and my work has now appeared in over 35 literary journals. Since the spring of 2021, I’ve taught 7 different eight-week and 4-week poetry workshop courses to high school students and adults via Zoom, with more planned for this fall. Although I haven’t yet taught visual art to adults in a formal setting, teaching comes naturally to me, and I anticipate that my experience leading writing workshops will make me a confident and effective teacher in my other areas of specialty. 

Upcoming Classes

• 5-Week Poetry Workshop – Starts July 15