Deerfield Library Launches Queer Poem-a-Day Podcast Series

In celebration of Pride Month, the Deerfield Public Library will present Queer Poem-a-Day, a special daily podcast series featuring poems written and read by contemporary LGBTQIA+ poets. Participating poets include established and emerging voices and the poems include both previously published and new works.

This unique, limited-run series will be released on the Deerfield Public Library Podcast, and the text of the poems and information about the poets will be available on the special series website: deerfieldlibrary.org/queerpoemaday. A poem will be released each day in June.

A selection of the monthful of poets participating in Queer Poem-a-Day include Derrick Austin, Chen Chen, Henri Cole, Jill McDonough, Eileen Myles, and Carl Phillips. Also, Chicago area poets Richie Hofmann, H. Melt, Rachel Mennies, Xandria Phillips, Ruben Quesada, Sam Herschel Wein, and Phillip B. Williams.

“We are so excited to offer this celebration of art and identity, featuring the poetry of the LGBTQIA+ community,” said Amy Falasz-Peterson, director of the Deerfield Public Library. “Plus, by harnessing the power of the podcast platform, we can invite poetry lovers next door and worldwide to share in this unique project.”

Pride Month is celebrated in June to honor the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising in New York City in 1969, a major catalyst for the modern LGBTQIA+ rights movement.

Queer Poem-a-Day is founded and co-directed by poet Lisa Hiton and Dylan Zavagno, adult services coordinator, Deerfield Public Library. Zavagno is the host of the Deerfield Public Library Podcast, which was launched in 2017. The regular podcast episodes feature interviews with authors of all genres and other notable people from Chicagoland and around the world.

“Podcasts are such a great medium for library programming,” said Zavagno. “Temporarily transforming our interview podcast into a daily poetry program allows for the kind of intimacy and engagement with the nuances of an independent voice that poetry requires. While there are several popular daily poetry podcasts, we believe Queer Poem-a-Day is the only daily podcast dedicated to this vibrant community of LGBTQIA+ poets.”

“I hope Queer Poem-a-Day serves the patrons of the library, Deerfield, and the larger world of contemporary poetry by showing--even just for a mere month--the power of LGBTQIA+ expression in this mode--the lyric mode,” said Hiton. “How these voices can engender us all to listen to each other, to look within ourselves, and to find radiance in experiences both grand and intimate.”

To learn more about the upcoming Queer Poem-a-Day series, listen to the introductory episode and trailer at deerfieldlibrary.org/podcast. That is also where you can subscribe to receive the daily poems.

The Library is hosting virtual programs related to Queer Poem-a-Day. All programs are free and open to the public. Register in advance at https://deerfield.libnet.info/events.

• Poetry is Who I Am: Fun with Poems of Identity (June 17, 5:00 p.m., for Teens, grades 6-12)
• The Lyric Self: Discovering Queer Traditions in Poetry (June 30, 7:00 p.m.)

Queer Poem-a-Day is supported by a generous gift of the Friends of the Deerfield Public Library. Music for the Queer Poem-a-Day podcast series is from the first movement of Excursions, Op. 20 by Samuel Barber, performed by Pianist Daniel Baer.

The Deerfield Public Library, located in the north suburbs of Chicago, serves a community of 18,500. The Library is committed to provide open access to the world of information and ideas, encouraging lifelong learning and personal growth in a welcoming environment. To learn more, visit deerfieldlibrary.org.

Lisa Hiton is a poet and educator from Deerfield, IL. Her first book of poems, Afterfeast, was selected by Mary Jo Bang to win the Dorset Prize at Tupelo Press (forthcoming 2021). She holds an M.F.A. in poetry from Boston University and an M.Ed. in Arts in Education from Harvard University. To learn more, visit lisahiton.com