Local poet named mentee in Gilbert-Chappell Mentor Series

Despite having a string of other jobs — including working as an administrative assistant, practicing as a lawyer and being a member of the Carrboro Board of Aldermen for ten years — Jay Bryan has always kept one skill consistent in his life: poetry.

Bryan was recently selected to be one of four mentees in the central region of North Carolina for the Gilbert-Chappell Mentor Series. This program pairs a distinguished poet with growing poets to help them develop and perfect their lyric craft.

Bryan's journey to this position began when he attended Yale University, after spending a year in England post-high school. While at Yale, he started writing poetry and learning more about the craft. Bryan said he admired the works of famous writers like Lawrence Ferlinghetti and E.E. Cummings and wanted to grow the skill himself.

“I wasn't a great student in most of [my courses], but in poetry, I did pretty well for whatever reason,” he said.

After graduating, Bryan eventually made his way to North Carolina thanks to a friend from college who worked at Duke University, and he learned that the South was more complicated than he had ever known, drawing him to the area more permanently.

While in North Carolina, Bryan earned his degree at N.C. Central Law School, established a law practice and began building a family, making his poetry more sporadic than it once had been. He only wrote when struck with an idea or when he found something that stimulated him.

However, when his wife became sick, he began writing a series of haikus every day until she eventually died to honor her life and spirit. These poems are available in his book, “Selected Poems,” which was published in 2013. 

This life-altering event generated an uptick in his poems because he felt more embodied to write about something that had such a heavy impact on his life.

“It also [provides] support to write about it,” he said. “These are not necessarily poems I would publish, but, for me, they do take me back in memory to those times and what I was writing about.”

Bryan thought there was a need to expand this avenue of expression to a greater area, and — inspired by an essay from John Gardner — he proposed the idea of “Carrboro Day” to the Town Council, then called the Board of Aldermen, in 1994. The event now takes place on the first week of May every year, where various poetry readings are just one aspect of the celebration.

But Bryan didn't stop there. A few years later in 2001, he advocated for the creation of a poet laureate in Carrboro. His goal was to further encourage the writing, reading and enjoyment of poetry in the Town of Carrboro to showcase the extensive power it can hold in one's life.

The town agreed and the poet laureate has long since been a staple of the Carrboro community, with its impact extending into places like Chapel Hill and Hillsborough, which have both established similar positions.

Along with the poet laureate, the Carrboro Poets Council was born — again with the influence of Bryan — creating an even greater community of individuals.

Maura High, who was a member of the Carrboro Poets Council with Bryan, recognizes Bryan's skill with his poems about his late wife, as well as the importance of the space to share these feelings and how Bryan shares his vision with the whole town.

“He's an all-around poet in that it wells up from a personal need to express something quite private in honor of somebody who deserves love and respect, and then he's widened that out now to the whole community,” she said.

High typically focuses her writing on themes of the environment and less on social topics, but she credits Bryan and her experiences living in Carrboro as enabling her to be more understanding of the place she is when writing and its history — and that was exactly Bryan's goal when he was building the poetry scene in the town. He wanted the poet laureate to represent the town and provide a voice for those who might be voiceless.

“I think that what he's built has been lasting and sustainable,” current Carrboro Poet Laureate Liza Wolff-Francis said. “And I think that he just has a great energy about him and an excitement, not just about poetry, but about community and bringing people together through poetry.”

Wolff-Francis will conclude her three-year term at the end of December. She sees her position as an opportunity to create and connect with people, getting to know them through poetry, which, she believes, can often build an even deeper connection.

“You know, I only live my life and I can look into other people's lives in some ways, but when they're sharing, ‘This is my poem,’ it gives me an insight into their voice and their experience and how they're living in the world,” Wolff-Francis said. “And I think that's really a gift.”

Poetry has served as an outlet for Bryan in the difficult moments in his life and he has shared those skills with the Town of Carrboro, not only with his ideas but also when he served as poet laureate in 2010.

When holding this position himself, Bryan wanted to make his poems about the town of Carrboro and shared a plethora of writing with those residents.

However, with each thing he's done, Bryan said he has rarely received constructive criticism on his writing, directing him to the newest avenue he will be following this year.

While the poet mentee position might seem like an odd one for Bryan to be in, as he has many accolades for writing, he is excited to try something new in getting feedback for his poems from an established, distinguished poet.

Bryan has extensive experience with writing, but is always willing to learn more and isn't afraid to try something new. Bryan worked to build a community where there are so many opportunities for hearing other poets, and believes that anyone can start if they have the will.

“Don't be worried about what someone else says about what you’re writing,” he said. “Whatever is important to you, write it.”

@dthlifestyle | lifestyle@dailytarheel.com

CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this article implied Jay Bryan is a current Carrboro Town Council member. Bryan served on the Board of Aldermen for ten years, which is now known as the Carrboro Town Council.