Elgin’s newest poet laureate says he wants to create space for people to feel safe exploring the artform

Elgin’s newest poet laureate Aron Ryan has had a lifelong love for poetry, something he wants to share with residents and to encourage others to embrace by creating a place where poets of all backgrounds can present their work.

“I hope that people learn how to share their own stories,” said Ryan, who started his two-year appointment this month. “I find a lot of writers have fantastic stories to tell, but there may be some trepidation. My goal is to create a safe space for writers.”

The art form shouldn’t be intimidating or limited, he said. “Poetry is just playing with words, sounds and structure on a page. ... I think poetry is a very accessible craft that anyone can learn.”

The poet laureate position was created in 2018, a joint effort between the city of Elgin and the Gail Borden Public Library. Chasity Gunn was the first person chosen for the role, and Gareth Mann recently completed her term.

Winning the position is a natural fit for Ryan, 31, who works at the library as an associate in the Kids Space department and plans on scheduling events and programs there as part of his new duties.

He’ll be formally introduced to the community at a reception in April, and is brainstorming ideas to bring other writers together, he said.

“I want to be someone approachable and who’s welcoming to all the different folks in Elgin,” the Elgin native said.

Among his duties will be creating and performing poems for special events and holidays.

Ryan’s worked at the library for five years and prior to that he helped recruit volunteers for nonprofit organizations. He became interested in library science after working with middle school volunteers through his local library, he said.

Library services has been a “fantastic fit for me,” said Ryan, who particularly enjoys creating programming for children.

Ryan took classes in creative writing at Elgin Community College before transferring to Elmhurst University to complete a bachelor’s degree in English. He is currently working on a master’s degree in library science through Dominican University.

An avid reader as a child, Ryan said he “started writing poetry when I was very little. I took an interest in poetry, the sound and the symmetry.” It became more of a craft than a hobby while he was at ECC, he said.

As a poet, he enjoys different genres, including haiku, a Japanese poem style with three lines and 17 syllables. He likes experimenting with sounds, which can sometimes feels like music when poetry is read out loud, he said.

“It’s fun to write because you can build your own structure with poems or work within existing structures. I find it’s really fun to play with, and it can be really challenging too,” Ryan said.

Free-style poetry is a favorite, and his work focuses on different themes, he said.

“One theme that comes up quite a bit is identity. Poetry has been a good way to explore my LGBTQ+ identity,” he said.

He also writes about neurodiversity, which refers to accepting all the different ways people learn and nature, he said.

Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.

Elgin: City of Light

We remember

loved ones, seres queridos

on Día De Los Muertos,

firelight welcoming families home

to ofrendas - like the sunset welcomes stars

to their cradles in the sky.

We remember

our inner light, celebrating Diwali.

Sand pink, green, yellow, blue,

every color, every hue, sprouting into a lotus

bloom. Fire adorns every petal,

clay lamps glowing marigold (a pungent perfume.)

We remember

reclaiming sacred spaces,

celebrating Hanukkah

with each candle on the menorah.

Brighter with each night,

our light grows like a garden in the window.

We remember

our city of light, the smell of smoke

in death and in life.

Even our birth blazes bright, every life

in our city worthy of a candle

and a wish for something, everything wonderful.

— Aron Ryan