Leaving poetry to the 'prose'

A group of 20 poetry enthusiasts gathered at the Wantagh Public Library on April 12 to take part in a poetry reading held by the Nassau County Poet Laureate Society. April is National Poetry Month and many people came out to a pair of readings to share their own work or just sit back and listen.

“The thing is, if they come and listen to us, then it’s good,” said Arnold Hollander, secretary of the NCPLS. “Many people like to get involved and just listening to the poets can open a whole new world. The people here are great and we always have readings at different venues.”

The society was formed in 2007 by a group of individuals who had desire of Nassau County having its own poetry representative. The mission of the group is to select and support the Nassau County poet laureate, encourage discovery of the poetic voice, elevate appreciation for the written word and enrich the lives of Nassau County residents and the greater Long Island community through poetry.

“Everyone here comes from different walks of life and there is such a great combination of people that show up,” Hollander said. “I’m glad I got involved.”

The group chose Lorraine Conlin, a South Jamaica Queens native and current Wantagh resident, as the Nassau County Poet Laureate in 2015, a position she will hold for two years. For the writer, poetry was just something that found her.

“I had the idea that I was going to be a romance novelist,” Conlin said with a laugh. “When my son graduated from Wantagh High School in 2000, it was like an empty nest. I started with a writing group at night at SUNY Farmingdale and joined the Long Island Writer’s Guild. A lot of poets came in to perform and I was dragged over to the dark side.”

Along with her poetry memoirs based on childhood experiences, Conlin also has a knack for coordinating events. The group has open readings every third Tuesday of the month at the Bean Café in Bellmore as well as other locations in the county. After nine years of coordinating, the laureate said she is proud to see how many people have become involved.