By Gretchen Webster

WESTPORT — When Diane Lowman, Westport’s first poet laureate, was selected in 2019, she didn’t know that the pandemic would stretch her tenure to three years, or that the many in-person and school programs she had planned would have to change.

“It definitely was a challenge,” she said.

But she adapted, and the haiku poet began working to overcome limitations with a
yard-sign poetry fest with Westport Public Schools, virtual poetry readings, and daily online poetry posts.

Though 26 other Connecticut towns have them, three years ago Westport created the honorary position for the first time, with Lowman chosen to begin the tradition.

“Ambassador for Poetry”

“The best way I could put it is that the poet laureate is an ambassador for poetry, making poetry less scary and more accessible for everybody — and by doing that, using poetry as a vehicle to strengthen community,” she said.

Lowman has been a resident of Westport for 25 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Middlebury College, and has two master’s degrees — one from Pepperdine University in California, the other from the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Poetry has always been a calling in her family, she said, with both her great-grandfather and her son, Dustin, part of the professional tradition.

After a career at the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in international employee benefits, Lowman began working more with her poetry just before becoming a full-time mom in the mid-1990s and transitioning her career to writing.

Since then, Lowman has become an author and working poet, having written a memoir, Nothing But Blue, about a trip she took on a container ship when she was 19, as well as publishing two poetry chapbooks.

She also takes photos, using them as background for her daily haiku, samples of which are currently on view at the Westport Book Shop.

Lowman now writes the haiku form of poetry exclusively.

“I love the form so much,” she said. “It’s easy to do — 17 syllables you can jot down anywhere.”

“A Universally Recognized Thought”

Making the poem meaningful, however, is a harder job. “Haiku poetry is taking a universally recognized thought, and fitting it into the 5-7-5 [syllable] format.”

Officially, the poet laureate’s job in Westport is to compose or curate poetry for public events, including those surrounding Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day, and invocations at Representative Town Meetings.

Unofficially, the town poet is always “thinking of ways to do community outreach with poetry,” Lowman said.

She started a “Poetry Around Town” historical project including locating interesting verses on headstones, and researching local authors “that people might not have known about,” in conjunction with the Westport Museum for History and Culture.

She has also hosted workshops with young people at MoCA Westport, and multilingual poetry workshops with children in Bridgeport.

Before Covid, Lowman held a successful workshop with students from Staples High School and seniors from the Westport Center for Senior Activities at Wakeman Town Farm, where the students and seniors wrote and shared haiku poetry with each other.

“It was a lovely inter-generational experience,” she said.

Providing Inspiration

Among the projects she has enjoyed the most as poet laureate is working with Westport elementary schoolchildren to create and post yard signs around town in partnership with Stephen Zimmerman, the preK-12 coordinator of fine arts for Westport Public Schools.

“Coming out of the bleak Covid-winter of 2021, the traveling exhibition of art-turned-yard signs in March was wonderful,” Zimmerman said. “Each child’s words and pictures were unique and Diane’s input and examples helped provide clarity and inspiration to our students.”

Lowman hopes in the next six months to step up her work with in-person projects, including more collaboration with Westport schools and the library. She will also be judging poetry contests at the senior center, and for the Connecticut Press Association.

The Westport Arts Advisory Committee will begin the process of choosing the next poet laureate in the next few weeks, according to Chair Nancy Diamond, chair, with an application process getting underway. The Westport Library, schools and committee all take part.

Diamond said she will be sorry to see Lowman leave the position.

“Diane has been an extraordinary poet laureate,” she said. “In addition to reading her own writings, Diane’s strength in finding poetry appropriate for any occasion has enriched town meetings, swearing in ceremonies, Veteran’s and Memorial Days and more.”

“Her interactions with Westport’s students have been creative and insightful,” she said.

The Westport Library posts a Lowman haiku every week and Lowman posts them on her social media sites as well.

“There’s a lot more poetry than people might think lurking in our community everywhere,” she said.

For more information, visit her website at DianeMeyerLowman.com.