52: Richie Hofmann, author of A Hundred Lovers

A Hundred Lovers (Knopf, 2022) is the second collection by poet Richie Hofmann. 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. 

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. 

The Deerfield Public Library Podcast is hosted by Dylan Zavagno, Adult Services Coordinator at the library. We welcome your comments and feedback--please send to: [email protected]. More info at: http://deerfieldlibrary.org/podcast

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