Cleveland's Dave Lucas Named Ohio Poet Laureate

Clevelander Dave Lucas was named the second Ohio Poet Laureate suceeding Dr. Amit Majmudar for a two year term.

Best known for his monthly Brews + Prose series at Market Garden Brewery, Lucas wants folks in the Buckeye state to change their reactions to reading poems.

"I grew up as I think a lot of people did, certainly many of my students feel this way, that poetry was what we encountered in the books that we had to read in school and that made us often feel stupid or inadequate," Lucas said.

The key to reading or listening to a poem, according to Lucas, is to try and appreciate the words, even if you don't understand them.

"I think the one thing that is important to recognize is that the poems, they are not necessarily to be figured out.  They are to be enjoyed," he said.

He joked one of his first "jobs" as poet laureate is to take on a serious rhyming challenge.

"I do not yet know if the governor would like a poem for his birthday, but I'm working on rhymes for Kasich as we speak," he said.

Lucas plans to travel the state spreading the power of poetry during his two year term.

"I'm looking forward to going across the state because the state is so varied in terms of geography, geology, population and the number of languages spoken throughout the state.  There are many opportunities to celebrate the different sorts of poetry by different people in those places," he said.