Welcome to our rebooted “Beacon Behind the Books” series! In these times when readers are responding to our books “more than ever,” when our authors—including Aubrey Gordon, Tanya Katerí Hernández, James Baldwin, Viktor Frankl, Atef Abu Saif, and Percival Everett—are appearing in the media, their ideas going viral on social media, their voices being heard on so many platforms, we thought it would be good to take a break to focus on some of the staff who work hard to find, shape, edit, produce, and promote those works. Our blog series introduces to you a staff member and gives you a behind-the-scenes look, department by department, at what goes on at our office. And not only our staff, but our interns, too.

This month, we introduce you to Beatrice Hruska, our sales intern! 

What drew you to publishing, Bea? How did you find your way to Beacon?

Like so many people who work with books, I love to read! Reading has always been a massive part of my life—I remember getting in trouble for reading my book during math class in fifth grade—but connecting people with the books they need felt just as important as reading for myself. As I got older, I started to do political organizing work around prison closure and abolition. In doing this work and while speaking to and learning alongside people in prison, it became all the more essential that books reach the people who need them. So, publishing felt like a logical next step, as it gave me some power to help elevate stories and voices we need to listen to. Of course, Beacon felt like a logical next step in that thought process. 

I discovered Beacon through my college courses in religious studies. I felt like I was opening a treasure chest. Imagine glowing gold and jewels but it’s all Beacon books! A press that publishes nonfiction engaged with the reality of our world, books that help readers find different paths forward, books about abolition, and books about religion? Sign me up! 

What is one book on our list that has influenced your thinking on a particular issue? 

As a religious studies student, I would be remiss to pass over some of Beacon’s amazing progressive theology titles. William R. Jones’s Is God a White Racist? is perhaps one of the most engaging pieces of religious scholarship I have ever read. Jones discusses how Christian belief and anti-Black oppression are linked, proposing radical new ways of understanding God and what is to come for those who believe. Reading this book completely changed the course of my own interest in the field of religious studies and helped me to see exactly what the stakes are when so very many people believe in a Christian God. It also illuminated the power of religion not just as an abstract concept but as a system of action that guides the way life is lived seriously and the immense power that can come from progressive theological work. 

What current/upcoming projects are you excited about? 

I have gotten the chance to work on some social media graphics for two very exciting new Beacon titles: Mad Wife and Religion Is Not Done with You. This was a fun challenge because I have read both titles and am extremely excited about them both, though they are pretty different. Without revealing too much, Mad Wife is a memoir that looks into what women are asked to sacrifice to uphold their own marriages and the institutions of marriage and family themselves. Religion Is Not Done with You is exactly what it says on the can! It is a shorter book that packs a punch, explaining why, though belief may feel personal, religion is a main driver of our past, present, and future on an incredibly large and public scale. I wanted to honor the content of each title while still making the graphics eye catching and engaging. Emily Powers of the marketing team helped me out with these and guided me through this process! 

What helps you focus when you’re working?

When I am in the office, I tend to feel quite engaged and focused, because I can hear and see everyone working around me. I really thrive on other people’s working energy. I also love to look at all the Beacon titles around me. While that might be a tiny bit distracting in the short term, I find that being surrounded by the work that Beacon does, the work I care about and am in awe of, really motivates me and helps me focus on the task at hand. 

When I work from home, I make sure to get dressed every morning so that I am in a working mindset. I also try to co-work with a friend or work in a new location, like at a coffee shop or at a library near me at least once a week, so that my mind stays fresh and active. 

Hobbies outside of work?

I love crafts. If you get me started, there are endless craft-related rants I could go on, from why I prefer vintage sewing patterns to the radical history of quilting to the challenges of buying yarn for knitting. While I do love to talk about crafts, I also really like to do them. Right now, knitting has taken over my life. I see some potential for a Beacon title about craft!