Lisa was a Starr

If you were one of the over 30 people who attended a presentation by Rhode Island poet laureate Lisa J. Starr last week at Bill Library, you were lucky to experience her poetry. To have a product of Ledyard so eloquently express herself was a treat for all who attended. For Lisa, it might have been a touch overwhelming to gaze over an audience that included childhood neighbors and friends, her fourth grade teacher and her father's former secretary. Yet with grace and style, she shared her poetry and her life with a willing audience.

Lisa Silverberg Starr grew up in Ledyard and graduated in 1984 from Ledyard High School. Her father was a prominent local attorney. He died when she was in her early teens after several years of illness. Her mother passed away a few years ago. Lisa, who is divorced, currently lives on Block Island with her two children Orrin (13) and Millie (12) and her dog Brother. They all figure prominently in her poetry. She owns and operates Hygeia House, a ten room inn. She has been poet laureate of Rhode Island for three years and will serve for two more years to complete her term. Her work as poet laureate has been to bring poetry to the less fortunate. To this end she has held poetry workshops in elderly communities, hospitals, shelters and the state prison.

The library is pleased to own a copy of her most recently poetry collection, Mad with Yellow. Her previous books are This Place Here and Days of Dogs and Driftwood.

We were delighted to have Lisa at Bill Library.