01907magazine

FOR
BETTER
OR
VERSE
Swampscott Poet
Laureate Lee
Eric Freedman is
working on a series
of poems about
Fisherman’s Beach.
Lee Eric Freedman is
Swampscott’s Poet Laureate
LBY ADAM SWIFT
ee Eric
Freedman
is the type
of poet who
would rather
be up on
stage spreading
his love
of the word, rather than sitting
with his nose buried in a book.
Freedman is the current Poet
Laureate of Swampscott, a title
he admits comes with no set
responsibilities. But if being a
laureate means getting out the
word about the power of poetry,
Freedman has that covered. You
can find him at any number
of open mic nights across the
North Shore during the week.
And once a month, Freedman
holds court as the president of
the Tin Box Poets, a group that
meets at Panera Bread in Vinnin
Square to write and discuss
their verse.
While Freedman has
been writing for decades, the
Swampscott Poet Laureate
designation is a relatively new
honor bestowed upon him.
“It was dreamed up several
years back by Sami Lawler, who
is a recently retired Swampscott
elementary schoolteacher,”
Freedman said. “She runs the
program and has secured judges
for both adult and youth divisions.
Residents submit their
poetry for free and are notified
if they made it. The laureate can
do whatever they want during
their 'term.”
The potential laureates each
submitted several poems to a
panel, and Freedman's came out
on top. His two-year term ends
later this year.
Freedman's love of poetry,
and much of his style, can be
tied to his love for alternative
music. In addition to writing,
Freedman worked for a decade
at now-defunct HMV Records,
as well as for several years at the
then-Salem-based Rykodisc
record label.
“I started writing poetry in
May 1987, and I didn't even
realize I was doing it,” said
Freedman. “I had a friend from
Marblehead who was in a band
and he was jamming and had
written a few songs that he
played for me and he thought
I might be able to write some
lyrics. I was really into music,
and worked at the Salem State
radio station, so I tried to write
something.”
What Freedman wrote
wasn’t exactly song lyrics, he
said, but it did look and sound a
lot like a poem.
“I thought it was the greatest
poem I had ever written,” he
said. “Of course, I know better
now, but from there it started to
snowball and I’ve been doing it
ever since.”
The next big step in his
writing evolution came when
he went from just putting down
words on the page to performing
at local open mics in the
early 1990s.
“I had always thought about
sharing my work, but I couldn’t
find an outlet to do it,” Freedman
said.
At that time, Neal and
Kerry Zagarella ran an open
mic in Beverly. Since the ’90s,
Freedman said there has been a
proliferation of open mic nights
in the region, including the
popular Speak Up series at the
Walnut Street Cafe in Lynn.
“I love sharing my work, and
I love the fact that people are
listening,” said Freedman. “I’m
not going to get rich through
doing this, but I like to share,
and I like to hear other people’s
work. I think it is inspiring for
everyone.”
If there is one way to
describe Freedman’s writing
style and subject matter, it is
that there are no rules. The
poet doesn’t necessarily keep a
journal close at hand, or write
every day, but when inspiration
strikes he’s been known to grab
the nearest napkin and jot down
a few lines, or record a quick
voicemail if he thinks of a line
or two while driving.
“I try not to censor myself,
either,” Freedman said. “No
matter how bad the poem is, I’m
going to put it down on paper.”
One of Freedman’s current
projects is a series of poems
about Fisherman’s Beach in
Swampscott. He said he has
worked on it off and on for
several years and is considering
consolidating it into a bigger
project.
Much of the work that
Freedman does finds its final
shape through the Tin Box
Poets group that meets at
Panera each month.
Whether it is working with
experienced scribes or helping
out a newcomer, Freedman said
the group is open to all and
strives to create a positive
environment to help people
with their writing.
“It’s a great group of people,
and I know I am a better poet
because of it,” said Freedman.
Although his time as
Swampscott’s official poet
laureate is coming to an end,
Freedman said he will continue
to spread his love of poetry.
With ReachArts opening a new
space in town, Freedman said he
is looking forward to working
on a potential spoken word
performance collaboration with
PHOTO SPENSER HASAK
that group.
He said there’s also one title
he is likely to keep for as long as
he writes and performs.
“In 2011 as part of his
introduction of me at the Speak
Up Open Mic at Walnut Street
Cafe in Lynn, host and Beverlybased
storyteller Tony Toledo
proclaimed me ‘The Renegade
Poet Laureate of Swampscott.’
Everyone agrees that I will
hold that title forever and they
decided never to challenge me
to obtain it.”
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