Lois Tillman fondly remembers a Chinaberry tree that was in the yard of her childhood home. It was there that her Papa taught her to love poetry, which began her literary journey.
As the years came and went, Lois became a teacher, a writer, and a performance poet known as Starlyte. She found out inspiration comes in many forms, from the terrestrial to the cosmic.
Lois began self-publishing her poetry in 1979. Her work focuses on everything from childhood remembrances, to Hurricane Katrina, to the universal theme of "do unto others as they would do unto you."
PoemFromSephonia.mp3
This open is taken from Lois Tillman's book, Sephonia.
This interview was conducted by Mark Cave for the Historic New Orleans Collection.