Needham’s Poet Laureate Finds ‘Magic’ in Written Word

December 4, 2024
• Needham artist and writer Anne Nydam will become the town’s first poet laureate, a position through which she hopes to share the power of the art form.

Anne Nydam traces her love of writing back to nursery rhymes. Her younger self connected with the rhythm of the verses, inspiring her to start writing her own poems.

Despite the simplicity of her early work — Nydam joked they were “terrible little poems” — she never stopped sharing her “sense of wonder” and joy through the medium.

“The way you use the words, the way you craft it, gives it multiple layers of nuance and connotation and emotion,” Nydam said in an interview with Needham Local. “There’s just magic in that.”

Nydam plans to encourage others to connect with poetry as Needham’s first poet laureate, a position in which she’ll craft programming and events centered on writing and engaging with the art form. The Needham Free Public Library will work alongside Nydam to do so.

Library Director Rob MacLean introduced Nydam to the Select Board at its Tuesday meeting, stating he hopes they can “bring poetry to every corner of Needham.”

MacLean and others on the selection committee were “not just amazed by the quality of Anne’s poetry, but also her commitment to Needham,” he said. Nydam has belonged to Needham Open Studios for more than two decades and has led writing workshops in local schools.

“The poetry is one thing, and it’s the important thing,” MacLean said to the board, “but creating a stronger Needham by enhancing community events with poetry and the power of the work that Anne does is going to be really exciting.”

As the inaugural poet laureate, Nydam’s duties are somewhat fluid, though the town’s description of the role states Nydam will hold at least two poetry readings, a student workshop and a poetry club meeting for National Poetry Month in April.

Her work began Wednesday, when Nydam moderated a poetry club and led a workshop for locals to write their own poetry.

Nydam studied linguistics at Yale University in pursuit of becoming a writer, but, as Nydam described, “the art came first. She became an art teacher and discovered her interest in block prints, which she continues to create. Nydam also writes short stories as well as longer books.

“I wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember, including poetry, and I really fancied myself a poet when I was a little kid and in college and all the way through,” Nydam said. “Poetry was kind of my first love in a lot of ways.”

In whichever form her creativity takes, Nydam aims to incorporate two components: storytelling and a “sense of wonder.” Her work invites people to imagine a story and observe the same joy she’s witnessed in the world around her, she said.

A haiku Nydam recently penned, titled “Tiny Galaxy,” centers on a dandelion, an overlooked flower some consider a weed. The poem encourages readers to stop for a moment and “appreciate the miraculous stuff that’s all around us,” she said.

Each dandelion
Lives its tiny galaxy:
Sun, then moon, then stars.

Nydam’s personal writing also plays with themes of mythology and fairy tales, examining different perspectives in classic literature. But an “impulse to connect” inspires Nydam to write.

The Needham Council for Arts and Culture funded the year-long position with a $500 stipend. Should the program be deemed a success, the town could reformat the position into a “creator-in-residence” to incorporate other art forms.

The Select Board briefly congratulated Nydam on the position.

“It’ll be exciting for the town to have a poet laureate,” Chair Kevin Keane said. “I like the sound of it.”

As both a visual and literary artist, Nydam admits it’s sometimes easier for people to engage with a painting or photograph as opposed to poetry, which takes more time to “chew on” and understand, she said. Poetry allows us to slow down and appreciate intentional word choices and their placement, Nydam said.

Nevertheless, poetry is much more present in our lives than we may realize, she added.

“The first myth there is the idea that poetry is only this literary stuff in big fancy tones in libraries or colleges or something,” Nydam said. “Poetry is everywhere… The lyrics of songs and even advertising jingles — the reason those stick in our heads is that as humans, we are kind of hardwired to really respond to things that play with language, things that use sound and rhythm.”

However her role evolves, Nydam said she’d like to make connections across the community and “share in our basic humanity.”

“I do hope that the town is poetry-curious enough to really engage with this experiment,” Nydam said.