This month on the Deerfield Public Library Podcast, we are thrilled to welcome as our guest the poet Richie Hofmann, whose beautiful second collection A Hundred Lovers was just published by Knopf earlier this month. Hofmann is also the author of Second Empire (Alice James Books, 2015). He teaches at Stanford University and lives in Chicago and San Francisco.
The poems in A Hundred Lovers describe fleeting moments—memorable smells, erotic encounters, travels through Europe, a wedding—all with intimate, diaristic directness. Our conversation illuminates how the shift from the more ornamented style of Hofmann’s first collection to the unadorned voice of this new volume follows a shift in the author’s relationships to love and history. Hofmann reveals his interest in a deep ambivalence towards the past and his desire to write a speaker that recounts both sensuous details and its own flaws.
Throughout this fascinating conversation, you’ll hear Richie read and discuss many poems including, among others, “German Cities,” “Under Limestone,” “French Novel,” and “Spring Wedding,” while also giving us insight into his creative process.
You can check out books by Richie Hofmann here at the library. Or find out more on his website: richiehofmann.com.
Richie Hofmann has been mentioned on our podcast several times before! He was part of our special series last year, Queer Poem-a-Day, sharing his poem “Male Beauty,” which appears in this new collection. Richie and his work were also discussed on two past podcast episodes: with the poet Rachel Mennies, and with poet Lisa Hiton, co-director of Queer Poem-a-Day.
We hope you enjoy our 52nd interview episode! Each month we release an episode featuring a conversation with an author, artist, or other notable guest from Deerfield, Chicagoland, or 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.
