Life Lines Trailer

In the first season of Life Lines: Poets in Conversation, hosted by Pushcart-prize nominated writer Dianne Bilyak, award-winning poets explore how poetry informs critical cultural discussions around grief, identity, womanhood, citizenship, environment, heritage, violence toward women, mother and daughter bonds, and generational trauma. Each guest poet has written a new book to introduce to the audience while also providing in-depth insights about the motivations behind the creation of the poetry, how the cover art connects to the work, and the themes explored in each book. Guest poets include Jennifer Givhan (Belly to the Brutal), Kerri Webster (Lapis), Brenda Hillman (In a Few Minutes Before Later), Abigail Chabitnoy (In the Current Where Drowning Is Beautiful), and Irena Klepfisz (Her Birth and Later Years). Each episode begins with a discussion on the genesis of each new poetry collection, and ends with a reading by the poet from their new book. Additionally, three out of five episodes include readings that contain other languages, including Spanish, Yiddish, and the Native Alaskan language, Altuiq. Life Lines is brought to you by Wesleyan University Press with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts.