Torrington resident Patricia Martin has been named the State of Connecticut National Beat Poet Laureate 2023 – 2025 by the National Beat Poetry Foundation.

Beat Poet Laureate recommendations are submitted by individuals worldwide.  A committee of seven individuals review and vote on the choices, then submit their findings to Debbie Tosun Kilday, Founder/Owner/CEO of the National Beat Poetry Foundation, who makes the final decisions on awardees.

Tosun Kilday founded the National Beat Poetry Foundation to bring different perspectives to how people view beat poets.  “My goal is to bring people together thorough poetry, art, and music,” says Tosun Kilday.  “I want to change the negative views of beat poets into a positive image and build a new generation of beat poets.  Our words matter, and the beat laureates in my organization are trying to be better versions of themselves by doing good in this world.”

A native of Darien, Conn., Mason-Martin relocated to Woodstock, N.Y., before her move to Torrington, Conn. An author, poet/performer and freelance copywriter, she was also the creator and host of SpeakEasy, a monthly poetry/spoken word series that took place on the first Sunday of every month at the Noelke Gallery in downtown Torrington until the COVID pandemic. The author of six nonfiction books, Mason-Martin’s poetry collection, In Venice I Could Sing, is available on Amazon and the writer’s website www.patriciamartin.com.  Her most recent book, a haiku chapbook titled Is Love So Fickle, is also available on her website.

Mason-Martin’s poetry has been published in various anthologies, magazines, and other publications and she has performed her work on several radio programs as well as at numerous festivals, art galleries, museums, and libraries.

Previously, Mason-Martin has participated in a number of National Beat Poetry Foundation events, including the International Goddess Festival, and has been published in several of the organization’s anthologies.  “I am humbled and thrilled to be designated the Connecticut Beat Poet Laureate,” she says.  “It is truly a great honor.”