Warmth isn’t brewing just from the tea at this water symposium in Brooklyn. It was brewing from Robin Lampman.

The Staten Islander is the director of poetry for Tea Arts & Culture. The nonprofit organization helps people form connections to others and nature through tea.

“They kind of visibly do go away, feeling more content, more centered, more grounded — kind of happy to be celebrating the moment and making new friends,” Lampman said.

Poetry has been a love for Lampman ever since she learned to read. She spent her career sharing it with her students. 

“Poetry is not only what grounds me,” she said. “It goes back so far. It’s kind of my way of thinking and understanding things and kind of dealing with the world.”

Four years ago, Lampman was teaching at an event where Tea Arts & Culture was running activities. She saw a lot of similarities between tea and poetry.  

“It has the quality of number one, kind of deepening you and making you more aware of yourself and other people, and their feelings,” she said.

“They all, kind of, encourage people to slow down, reflect and be really present in the moment,” Wenting Zhang, director of Tea Arts & Culture, said.

Lampman has been teaching poetry for the organization ever since at different community events and gatherings, bringing together generations of New Yorkers.

“Robin’s voice is always so encouraging and always like, ‘You can do it,’” Zhang said. “This is something that you’re sharing, something beautiful.’”

At the water symposium at BioBAT Art Space in Brooklyn, Lampman encouraged participants to write poems inspired by Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to Common Things.”

It’s a moment for people to take in the moment and a sip of tea.

“We could use a whole friendlier world,” she said. “So we’re kind of trying to create a friendly world, one cup of tea and one poem at that time.”

For brewing community with notes of poetry, Robin Lampman is our New Yorker of the Week.