Beka Kruse Wueste ’06 had been filling notebooks with poems, plays, and prose since childhood, but she was reluctant to show her writing to others. That was impossible to avoid when she took a class with Professor Emeritus of English Warren Rochelle at the University of Mary Washington.
“You couldn’t take his writing workshop without sharing your work,” she said of Dr. Rochelle, who saw her strengths as a storyteller. “I reconnected with him after I started publishing my work to thank him for the impact that he had on my career.”
Beka, who majored in art history, has now published three novels and a short story collection, the latest of which – Human of the Year – was recently named one of the Best Indie Books of October by Kirkus Reviews. She’ll share her story in her keynote address at UMW’s Gender and Sexual Minorities and Allies (GSMA) Cultural Celebration, sponsored by the James Farmer Multicultural Center, on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m., in the Hurley Convergence Center’s Digital Auditorium.
Her works of fiction, which also include The Unsent Letters of Lucy Prior, Fireflies in a Jar, and My Side of the World and Other Tales of Death, explore experiences across the LGBTQ+ spectrum, bringing to life diverse voices not always represented in media.
Growing up in Northern Virginia, she was fascinated by magical realism, reading children’s books like Bridge to Terabithia and Tuck Everlasting, and digging into her own family’s tales. “Storytelling is an integral part of my Mexican American heritage,” she said. “I learned as a child that a story didn’t need to be true, but it should always be engaging and entertaining.”
The first in her family to attend college, Beka saw Mary Washington as captivating, too, with its idyllic brick buildings and columns. “It felt like a college campus you’d see in a movie.”
She threw herself into college life, becoming a residence hall secretary, working at Simpson Library, digitizing slides for the art history department, and volunteering at local shelters. And she met Daniel Wueste ’07, who lived across from her in Westmoreland Hall. The couple married in 2012 at UMW’s Jepson Alumni Executive Center.
Along with Dr. Rochelle, Beka was inspired by Professor of Art History Joseph Dreiss, the late Professor Emerita Jean Ann Dabb, and the late Thomas Somma, who directed UMW Galleries when she interned there. “He switched careers midlife and told us you don’t have to stay on the same path forever,” she said. And she didn’t.
After graduation, she worked at the Phillips Collection, writing during her daily commute to Washington, D.C. She then took a job in marketing – a field she still works in – which allowed her to pursue a master’s degree in art history at George Mason University. And she drew and painted in her free time, becoming a member of the Fredericksburg Center for Creative Arts.
“I was always willing to display my art, but I was hesitant to share my writing, even with close friends,” said Beka, whose feelings began to change as she accumulated more and more notebooks.
By now, she has presented work from her four self-published books at readings and other literary events, including UMW’s Alumni Authors showcase during Reunion Weekend in 2026.
Her stories genre-hop from science-fiction to suspense to magical realism, influenced by authors such as Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende. For her artwork, she draws inspiration from artists like Frida Kahlo and Wassily Kandinsky.
“All of them can make you feel something,” she said. “As an author and artist, my goal is always for people to have an emotional response to my work and feel a connection to the characters.”
Kirkus Reviews as well as the Manhattan, Chicago, and San Francisco Book Reviews have compared her to the likes of Anne Tyler, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Ray Bradbury. “Seeing my name aligned with authors I adore is unreal,” she said.
So is being selected by UMW students to speak at her alma mater.
“I couldn’t have ever imagined this 20 years ago,” said Beka, who recently announced her first full-length magical realism novel, Love by Firing Squad. “Being invited to come back home is the best feeling.”
Learn more about Beka and her writing and view her artwork.
-Article by Assistant Director of Advancement Communications Jill Graziano Laiacona ’04
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