Municipal poet laureates help elevate community agendas

In a state that celebrates Emily Dickinson, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Robert Frost among its literary giants, a growing number of Massachusetts communities are continuing the poetic tradition by appointing their own poet laureates.

Massachusetts has long been accustomed to finding itself in verse — think Emerson’s “Concord Hymn” and its “shot heard round the world” to describe the start of the American Revolution. In a more modern embrace of the artistic expression, at least 20 municipalities either have poet laureates, or are considering getting one, and their efforts were amplified by this year’s appointment of the state’s first poet laureate, Lexington resident Regie Gibson.

Communities that have appointed poet laureates say they help foster community building.

“Poetry might not fix potholes, but it strengthens and celebrates community spirit, cultural identity, and emotional well-being,” said Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo, whose city recently appointed its first poet laureate. “In times of uncertainty or division, poetry offers a powerful means of reflection, connection, and healing. It creates space for diverse voices, fosters empathy, and encourages creative expression.”

For Michelle “LaPoetica” Richardson, becoming Lynn’s first poet laureate in April has helped her elevate a city that has lifted her up through difficult times. A poet, community organizer and arts volunteer, Richardson was a homeless mother less than a decade ago, and she remembers the local leaders, including City Councillor Nicole McClain, who gave her work opportunities and offered venues for her poetry.

“I want to break boundaries, break barriers, you know, pave ways and paths in my city,” Richardson said. “I love my community. I love Lynn. Lynn has carried me and ushered me through so many chapters of my life.”

Richardson, whose nickname LaPoetica means “the poetic one” in Spanish, is the daughter of Dominican immigrants. Fluency in Spanish and English allows her more creativity in her poetry, she said, and will allow her to expand her outreach through public readings and other engagement efforts in Lynn, a city with a diverse population.

“I want to instill a love for poetry and spoken word, you know, throughout all ages, stages, levels, pasts, walks of life, religions, faith, ethnicity, all of it — because everybody needs a voice,” Richardson said. “Everybody needs to be connected with their inner instinctual ability to express themselves.”

Salem poet laureate J.D. Scrimgeour traces his roots back centuries to some of his city’s darkest times. A Salem resident for almost three decades, Scrimgeour descends from two figures in the Salem Witch Trials: Mary Eastey, who was executed for alleged witchcraft, and one of the male jurors who found her guilty. He remains moved by Eastey, who, on the eve of her death, authored a petition that helped hasten the end of the witch trials.

“I think as writers, we all wish we could affect the public in some way with our work,” Scrimgeour said. “I’ll never reach that level, but I am inspired by it.”

Chosen from among 16 applicants, Scrimgeour started his two-year tenure in January. An English professor at Salem State University, he has published more than a half dozen books of poetry, essays and nonfiction. He has also organized poetry festivals and seminars, which has helped lay the foundation for the poetry workshops, community readings and school visits that he is now undertaking as poet laureate.

Salem appointed its inaugural poet laureate to coincide with the city’s 400th anniversary next year. Scrimgeour is overseeing the compilation of “Pieces of Salem,” an anthology showcasing poetry and prose from people living and working in the city. After the book is completed, he said he also wants to produce podcasts of local poets reading and discussing their poetry. Even in this age of social media and doomscrolling, he still sees a role for poetry in communities.

“You know, good poems use language very precisely and evocatively, and I think they make you have to slow down,” Scrimgeour said. “But I think there’s also a hunger for that.”

Carolyn Zaikowski, who became Easthampton’s newest poet laureate in late April, said she wants to engage diverse groups of people with poetry, by taking poetry to wherever people are, whether that’s in orchards or parking lots or places downtown. A poet, fiction writer and essayist, Zaikowski said the arts are especially powerful in pushing back against injustice and attacks on freedom of speech.

“Word workers not only offer comfort, entertainment, community, and beauty — they also help people navigate turbulent times by being able to name truth and paint possibilities for a new world,” Zaikowski said. “That’s exactly why we’re at threat, and it’s exactly why we are needed.”