Westport has a new poet laureate, its first.
Diane Lowman: will serve two-year term. Jane LaMotta photo
She is Diane Meyer Lowman, a graduate of Middlebury College who recently received her M.A. in Shakespeare Studies from the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham, U.K.
The Westport Arts Advisory Committee, which made the announcement, said she will begin her two-year term on July 1.
According to the committee, the role of the Town of Westport Poet Laureate is to “elevate poetry in the consciousness of residents and to celebrate and continue the town’s vibrant literary history.”
Lowman’s memoir, “Nothing But Blue,” was published in November 2018 by She Writes Press and her work has appeared in “O” The Oprah Magazine, Brain Child, CT Bard’s Southwest Review, Shakespeare (Journal) and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust Blog, the announcement said,
Her “My Life on the Post Road” column appears in Hamlet Hub (Books, Inc.) and has received awards from the CT Press Club.
First Selectman Jim Marpe said: “Having a Poet Laureate is a long overdue acknowledgement of the importance of the written word to Westport’s artistic and cultural heritage.
“Diane Lowman is a wonderful first choice for this new role, and brings genuine excitement, energy and poetic background to it.”
