Lorenzo Recupero is now bringing the joy of reading and writing into other people’s lives with a new endeavor that focuses on writing poetry.
Recupero is an accomplished writer himself, having worked at The Boston Globe for seven years.
After receiving a $5,000 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council in March, Recupero has put together The Chelsea Poetry Walk.
Working with co-coordinator Carol Resnek, the duo will launch the Chelsea Poetry Walk on August 7.
What is the Chelsea Poetry Walk and how can a Chelsea resident have his/her poems showcased in the exciting project?
“I like to call the Chelsea Poetry Walk a community collaboration,” said Recupero. “It’s a collaboration between the residents of the city – including all school-age children and adults, English speaking and non-English speaking – and the businesses in Chelsea.”
Chelsea students and residents will submit their poems to Recupero and Resnek for review. They will select the poems to be displayed at businesses in the Broadway district.
“We hope to get 20 businesses on board that will display their poems at their stores,” said Recupero. “We’re going to give the writers gift cards to downtown businesses.”
Resnek said she recognized Recupero’s excellence in poetry when he was a middle school student.
“I have known Lorenzo’s passion for reading and writing poetry since he was in middle school,” said Resnek. “That passion has translated into bringing our city the beauty of their own poetry to the streets. Lorenzo is giving Chelsea people the gift of expressing their feelings about this place we call home.”
Recupero wrote his first poem in the seventh grade for the Williams School Fair. He took the first-place prize, which was a gift certificate.
“My teacher (Ms. Janiak) asked me, ‘Did you write this poem?’ and I said, “Of course I did.’ “And she said, ‘you need to keep writing.’ “Today I think about how important and how empowering that was to be able to have that outlet to write the poem and have the teachers and students reading it,” said Recupero. “Eventually it led to me having a love for reading and writing.”
Giving Chelsea
students an outlet after the pandemic
Recupero said “students having to remain at home during the pandemic” helped inspire him to start the Chelsea Poetry Walk.
“After the pandemic, writing poetry is liberating in a lot of ways,” said Recupero. “With everyone stuck at home and the students having to be schooled remotely for the first time in the city’s history, I felt the city needed to exhaust its emotions, so this was an opportunistic time to have the Chelsea Poetry Walk. We also want to get eyes on the businesses in Chelsea, the small stores that we need to support. When people walk by these businesses, they’ll be reading the poems and looking into these businesses and hopefully that will generate sales for these businesses.”
A 2008 graduate of Chelsea High School, Recupero attended UMass/Boston. He works in the city’s Treasury Department and is also an editor and writer.
The son of Chelsea City Councillor Giovanni Recupero, Lorenzo thanked Chelsea’s Downtown Coordinator Mimi Graney for her support of The Chelsea Poetry Walk Project.
“She’s been very helpful to me during the planning process,” said Recupero. “She’s provided steadfast support and guidance. With this being my first community-based project in Chelsea, her support has been invaluable.”
Major milestone hit on City Hall clocktower restoration
The restoration project of City Hall Tower passed a major milestone on Saturday, June 26. As can be seen from Route 1, the top of the tower has been refinished with a new gold leaf coating.
“The top of the cupola looks beautiful, especially when it is hit by the sun,” said Public Works Director Fidel Maltez. “Last fall, the faces of the clock tower were removed and taken off-site for complete restoration. Last Saturday, an enormous crane put the fully restored clock faces back in place.”
The restoration project of the tower includes the replacement of the workings of the clock, which will make adjusting the clock easier. It will also make the clock operation more reliable. The project will be fully complete by the end of July, once the scaffolding is removed, the City Hall Tower will be fully restored for the next generation of Chelsea residents to enjoy.