About the book: Poems of refuge. The power of names and secrets. Mermaids, tattoos, and a space-faring octopus. The wonder of bees. In the poetry and fiction of Guest People, Lisa Usani Phillips unpacks a weathered family trunk to examine intersections of privilege and oppression, and to find solace in the face of alienation and loss.

Praise for Guest People

“Guest People is a dazzling book of love, scattering and gathering across generations and continents. Phillips takes us from Market Basket to Bangkok to the air. Her wry tenderness is lit by evocative music—the lyricity is strong in this one!—and wit, and joy, aching joy.” —Peter Jay Shippy, author of five books, including Kaputniks (Saturnalia Books) and Thieves’ Latin (#IowaPoetryPrize)

“In an age of heightening national borders, the poems, stories, and photographs in this slim but generous book open doors— to memory, to survival, and above all, to love.” —Catherine Gander, coauthor of Sea Between Us and author of Matches

“Guest People is both an ache and a balm. Physical losses— shelter, possessions, even hair—are accompanied by racism’s intangible costs, which Phillips illuminates with care and precision. Subjected to unwanted stares and un-asked-for invisibility, her speaker deploys irony to exquisite effect. Nimble rhythms, razor-sharp line breaks, and fluid forms shine throughout this collection." —Carolyn Oliver, author of Inside the Storm I Want to Touch the Tremble (#AghaShahidAliPrize in Poetry)

About the Author:

Lisa Usani Phillips is an Asian American writer and editor who is Hakka by way of Thailand on her mom’s side and Dutch, English, German, and Irish on her dad’s side. She writes poetry and prose with two workshops, Fabrica Poetica and the Ediths (named after classicist Edith Hamilton, who published her first book when she was in her sixties). Lisa’s work has appeared in or is forthcoming from The Beacon Street Review, Current Biography, House Mountain Review, riksha: Asian American Notes and Images, and Salt Magazine, among others. She has received several honors for her writing, including the Emerson College Emerging Writer Award for MFA students. Guest People (Wheeling Tern, 2022) is her first book.