This month on the Deerfield Public Library Podcast, I am thrilled to present a conversation with Lisa Hiton on the occasion of the publication of her debut full-length poetry collection, Afterfeast. Selected by the poet Mary Jo Bang as the winner of the Dorset Prize for Poetry, Afterfeast is published by Tupelo Press.
Lisa Hiton grew up in Deerfield and recently collaborated with the Deerfield Public Library Podcast as the founder and co-director of our Queer Poem-a-Day project. I am especially honored to have the opportunity to celebrate her work after she helped us celebrate the work of so many other poets this past June.
The poems in Afterfeast often take as their subject trips to Greece, the legacy of the Holocaust, and queer identity (not to mention more mysterious metaphysical states) in an original and daring voice. This heartfelt and profound conversation, which includes readings from Afterfeast, explores how Hiton creates poems that dramatize the “immersion, then pain” of the process of entering into the space of poetry itself.
Lisa will be doing a reading from her book Saturday, November 13 at 1 p.m. This is a hybrid program and you can sign up for in person or online attendance through Zoom. We hope to see you there! Books will be available for purchase and signing at the event.
You can check out Afterfeast at the Deerfield Public Library, and find out more information about Lisa Hiton on her website, lisahiton.com.
We hope you enjoy our 50th interview episode with Lisa Hiton! Each month we release an episode featuring conversations with notable guests, including authors, artists, and leaders from Deerfield, Chicagoland, and around the world. Learn more about the podcast on our podcast page.
You can listen to all of our episodes in the player below or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. We welcome your comments and feedback—please send to podcast@deerfieldlibrary.org.
