Presenter Biography

Lisa Silverberg Starr moved to Block Island in 1986 and never wanted to leave. So she didn't. An inn-keeper (the Hygeia House), a mother, a basketball coach and a champion of fun and freedom of speech, Starr divides her time among a variety of interests, her family, and her passion for poetry. A two-time recipient of the Rhode Island fellowship for poetry, a former college instructor, waitress and freelance writer and publicist, Starr was recently named Poet Laureate for the state of Rhode Island. She has published two full-length collections of poetry : Days of Dogs and Driftwood (1993) and This Place Here (2001), and her individual works appear in journals and publications around the country. Starr is the founder of the Block Island Poetry Project. With her husband, Champlin, their two children, Orrin (age 11) and Millie (age 10), Starr owns and operates the Hygeia House, along with their new love of a dog, Brother. When time permits, she writes her heart out.