Beverly Armento: A Life of Joy and Resilience

What a JOY! We met in February at the Georgia Writers Museum Writers Retreat in Eatonton, Georgia. As a former teacher and college professor and second-year presenter, Beverly spoke to the group with enthusiasm, poise, and confidence. I hung on her every word. At the end of her presentation, I was inspired to finish my book, Finding Joy. She had published her first book, Seeing Eye Girl: A Memoir of Madness, Resilience, and Hope, at the age of 81. It is her story of growing up with a blind, abusive mother in a wildly dysfunctional family. Certainly, I thought, if Beverly can publish at 81, I can do it at 60.

By the end of February, I had finished reading her book, posted reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, and become not only a fan, but a friend. On our first phone call, Beverly encouraged me to make JOY the thread that weaves through every blog I write. And as I was realizing that my book, Finding Joy, falls under the creative memoir genre as much as travel and adventure, she told me that memoirs are about reflection. It will take me years to reflect on those words of wisdom, but I will always remember I heard them from Beverly first.

In a recent talk, Beverly told me she was focused on writing her next book. However, she admitted to having too many commitments. As Seeing Eye Girl gains momentum, she struggles with promoting her first book while writing her second. Her next book is a novel called Will Power, which is about her father.

            “So, how did you find the time to write Seeing Eye Girl?”

            “Well, you have to be persistent and disciplined with your behind-the-computer time. I also participated in a critique group. Ten women who were all writing memoirs got together every week. We analyzed each other’s work. Being analytical about others made me more analytical about my own writing.”

            “You met every week?”

            “Yes. We were all dedicated to our own work and to each other. I would also say, get in a group with at least two or three writers who are better writers than you. You don’t need people who are just going to tell you, ‘Oh, this is so good. I wouldn’t change a thing.’ That’s not going to make you a better writer.”

            “That makes sense.”

            “I also took a lot of classes in creative non-fiction. My book reads more like a novel because that’s how I looked at it. I was ‘showing a story’ rather than ‘telling a story.’”

            “Oh, I like that. Yes. You were definitely showing your story.”

            “Yes. It took me a long time to find my voice. But when you find your voice, it’s like you have found the tone you want to achieve. It gets easier after that.”

            “Tell me more about tone.”

            “Well, I didn’t want to bash my mom or wallow in the abuse. My mom wasn’t all bad. She had a compassionate side, too. When I was living it, I felt the fear and the anger, but as a writer I didn’t want readers to feel sorry for me. I wanted to portray the ‘strong Beverly’, so I turned down the volume on the abuse and emphasized the good times, the joy of my childhood.”

From the trauma in her home life, Beverly learned to be strong and resilient. She found comfort and joy in school—in her supportive teachers and friends. Her teachers were so kind to her that she resolved to give back by becoming a joyous, happy teacher for other students one day. And she did just that. Beverly taught middle schoolers and then college students for fifty years before retiring to write.

Miss Armento (who later became Dr. Armento) enveloped her children with kindness and taught prospective teachers to do the same. Beverly credits her teachers with believing in her and encouraging her to become a teacher who would make a difference. She says teachers have more impact on their students than they will ever know. And at 83, Dr. Beverly Armento is still out there encouraging others to make a difference in the lives of today’s youth.

I encourage you to read my friend’s memoir. It’s on Amazon. And you can learn more about Beverly on her website www.beverlyarmentoauthor.com. If you know her or ever get to know her, I’m sure you will agree with me that Dr. Beverly Armento is a JOY.

*Photo by Kai Smith of Eikonik Images