SouthTalks: Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Food, Place, and the Ancestors

Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Food, Place, and the Ancestors

Crystal Wilkinson

In this SouthTalk, Crystal Wilkinson will discuss the role food plays in her writing. Drawing from material from her memoir Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts, she explores how food functions as inspiration, as a tie to one’s past, and as an important marker of cultural identity.

Wilkinson is also the author of a collection of poems and three works of fiction. Her short stories, poems, and essays have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies, including The Atlantic, The Kenyon Review, STORY, Oxford American, and Southern Cultures. Kentucky’s Poet Laureate from 2021 to 2023, she currently teaches at the University of Kentucky, where she is Bush-Holbrook Professor in Creative Writing.

This talk is co-sponsored by the Southern Foodways Alliance.

SouthTalks is a series of events, including lectures, performances, film screenings and panel discussions, exploring the interdisciplinary nature of Southern Studies, sponsored by the Center for the Study of Southern Culture. All events are free and open to the public.