Poet Interview: Priscilla Bettis

Priscilla Bettis is an avid reader and a joyful writer. She lives in small-town Texas with her two-legged and four-legged family members. Priscilla enjoys writing short stories and poems, and she is working on her first literary novel.

Priscilla's poem, "Autumn Graveyard," was published by MoonLit Getaway in December 2024.

INTERVIEW

MG: What got you into poetry?

PB: Mrs. Auten, my 6th grade teacher, taught the class about haiku and metaphors. She explained that a poem is an artform that conveys an image or event with compact wording. I was hooked.

MG: Tell us more about "Autumn Graveyard"—what inspired it? What makes it unique?

PB: We live near a graveyard with headstones dating back to the mid 1800s. It’s a beautiful area—the oaks, the surrounding fields stretching out in the distance—but it’s a somber area, too, and I always feel like I’m trespassing (“blaspheming”) when I draw close to read a gravestone.

MG: Are you currently working on anything else?

PB: I’m working on a poetry/short story collection I plan to release later this year. Whether it’s a Southern Gothic story or a syllabic poem, each piece has an element of faith.

MG: What’s your favorite piece you’ve ever made? Why is it your favorite?

PB: I really like a short story I wrote called Fix Your Face. It’s the first story I wrote where I blatantly broke the rule that the protagonist has to change/grow over the course of the story. Feedback to date has been positive. The story will be included in my upcoming collection.

MG: Are there any poets that inspire the way you make your pieces?

PB: Sarah Law. She’s a British poet who writes a lot of religious poetry without it being sappy, and with structure that doesn’t feel forced.

MG: Do you have any social media you’d like to share?

PB: I share a book review blog at The Well Read Fish. I chat about life and writing on X: @PriscillaBettis.

MG: Do you have any advice for other poets?

PB: We don’t write like the poets of old, but we can still learn from them, so study the dead poets!

READ: "Autumn Graveyard" by Priscilla Bettis