Carrboro elects new poet laureate

A former Carrboro Alderman with a self-published book of haikus makes for a rare combination.

But that’s Jay Bryan, an alderman from 1987 to 1997 who was selected last week to serve as Carrboro’s fifth poet laureate, a role that promotes poetry in the community.

He said poetry serves as an escape from the disputes he hears practicing family law.

Poems by Jay Bryan:

A Cup of Kindness

Snow While Fishing for Trout

To the Two of You

 

“It creates a moment in time where people who are listening can be drawn away from their own particular situations,” said Bryan, a 35-year resident of Carrboro.

He once wrote a poem for a local judge that described a case in order to bring some issues to light.

But he said law only inspires him to a certain degree. He describes his work as spontaneous — like the piece about frogs in his pond that he submitted with his poet laureate application.

Jackie Helvey, a member of the Carrboro Arts Committee, said it is ironic that Bryan is the new poet laureate; he proposed the role in 2002.

Bryan got the idea after researching communities across the nation that had a poet laureate.

Bryan said Carrboro might be the first community in North Carolina with its own poet laureate. He said Hillsborough established one several years later, and some have pushed for Orange County to have its own.

Many states have a governor-appointed poet laureate. The N.C. General Assembly created the state poet laureate position in 1935, but the position wasn’t filled until 1948.

Rebecca Moore, spokeswoman for the N.C. Arts Council, credited the trend of local poet laureates to the state’s literary heritage.

“It is a function of the rich literature and the number of outstanding writers in our community,” she said.

Bryan said he conceived the Carrboro poet laureate as a flexible position with few requirements.

Helvey said this freedom allows each poet laureate to express different ideas and to make poetry a more highlighted event.

In the past, the poet laureate has chosen his or her successor.

But this time, there was a selection committee that blindly reviewed submissions. Each candidate submitted three poems and a proposal of how to promote poetry.

“Every submission we got could have been the poet laureate,” Helvey said of the eight candidates.

Chris Beacham, the Carrboro Arts Committee chairman, said the committee might form a poetry council that includes the candidates that weren’t chosen. The council would foster poetry appreciation and help the poet laureate plan events, he said.

Candidates also proposed publishing a Carrboro poetry review, Beacham said.

Bryan’s proposals included producing an anthology of the poems read at Carrboro Day, hosting poetry readings at schools and retirement homes and starting a poetry slam at Weaver Street Market, Beacham said.

Bryan, whose term lasts two years, also wants to focus on expanding existing traditions, like the Carrboro Poetry Festival that former poet laureate Patrick Herron founded.

“It’s about the community building infrastructure that connects people. Part of that can be done through listening and writing poetry,” Bryan said.

Contact the City Editor at citydesk@unc.edu.