Tony Fusco is the first poet laureate of the town of West Haven, and he believes in the power of words. “What use are words?” he asks rhetorically. “Everything. Words are the birthplace of culture … they shape our perception of the world and influence it as well. Words are magic, and poetry is like an incantation to invoke that power …

"People use poems to get in touch with their feelings and to reveal truths to themselves. Like any type of art, poetry develops in the writer and the reader the ability to look at the world and surroundings in a different way, from a different perspective.”