Blood & Tears: Poems for Matthew Shepard [Paperback]

Scott Gibson (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Matthew Shepard, a gentle, petite 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was found tied to a fence outside Laramie on a chilly October morning in 1998, the victim of a brutal gay bashing. His subsequent death enraged gays everywhere and forced millions of other Americans to confront the ugly realities of homophobic hate crimes. For this tribute, GibsonAa student in the Naropa Institute's Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied PoeticsAhas brought together distinguished writers like John Ashbery, Star Black, W.S. Merwin, and Harold Norse. The poets balance elegiac sadness with righteous anger. The best of these poems are beautifully, gravely haunting; the worst come off as saccharine or lachrymose. But despite its high quality and poignancy, this book is more appropriate for those who wish to have a personal remembrance of Matthew Shepard than for most library collections. An optional purchase for large public libraries and popular gay studies collections.ARichard Violette, Special Libs. Cataloging, Inc., Victoria, BC
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 147 pages
• Publisher: Painted Leaf Pr (June 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1891305158
• ISBN-13: 978-1891305153
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,568,535 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive and want to stay that way...., January 23, 2001

By 

Shannon L. Yarbrough "Shannon L. Yarbrough" (St. Louis, MO USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blood & Tears: Poems for Matthew Shepard (Paperback)

Wow! Such mixed reviews on this one! It's true we cash in on the crimes that haunt us, but why look at it that way? Why not see the written word as a way to preserve that which we don't want to forget and that which we wish to use to teach others of our mistakes? MTV recently showed "Anatomy of A Hate Crime," the first movie-type documentation of this tragedy, but I didn't once think the station used it as a ploy to boost ratings. Have a heart! Who said true life is better than fiction? Yet, the tragedy of that "true life" is what has sparked the fire in so many writers throughout the past. Expression, imagination...freedom, let's not forget what we learned from this hate crime. So, I applaud the prose and am sure the poets meant it well. As for you readers who didn't get it, go take out your anger by hitting someone in the head 18 times with the handle of a gun and then let's see what you choose to write about.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars more people should read and understand. this should help., June 9, 1999

By 

dave([e-mail]) (atlanta,ga) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blood & Tears: Poems for Matthew Shepard (Paperback)

I am constantly amazed when someone puts a group of writings together with such a sense of focus. If the "names" who wrote these poems are able to reach but a few then this book will be a huge success. It will be the start of something really good. I hope more people will read and enjoy this marvelous collection of poems by poets like greyson, kavanaugh, campo, ashbery, etal. Make sure you don't miss this one.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great collection, August 13, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Blood & Tears: Poems for Matthew Shepard (Paperback)

This is a great collection of poems about Matthew Shepard. One of the poems that really made me think simply has a "," (comma) on the page, many of the others pages long.

All of the poems are excellent. Great job Scott!