Antoinette Brim-Bell has been named Connecticut's State Poet Laureate. Brim-Bell is one of the four poets who partnered with the Old Lyme Witness Stones Project, creating a tribute in verse to those remembered with Lyme Street plaques. The verse cycle was selected for publication in “Poetry” magazine’s November 2021 issue. The poems capture the unheard voices of those once enslaved, bringing to life experiences, attitudes and emotions long ignored and then forgotten. These reflections in verse allow Cato, Humphrey, Temperance, Arabella and others to speak to us today about their years of servitude in Old Lyme.
The honorary position of Connecticut Poet Laureate was established in 1985 by the State of Connecticut. As the state's representative poet, the Poet Laureate serves as an advocate for poetry and promotes the appreciation of — and participation in — poetry and literary arts activities among Connecticut citizens.
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