Signs of Love [Paperback]

Leslea Newman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2000

Originally published in two volumes, this exquisite collection of deeply personal, yet profoundly universal poetry explores themes of childhood and family relationships, cultural identity, the destructive nature of sexual abuse and the healing power of love. Newman's poetry will elicit laughter and tears, heartfelt recognition and an appreciation for what makes us most human -- love, desire, family, personal courage and joy. Lesléa Newman has received Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the author of several other poetry collections including Still Life with Buddy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Leslea Newman is a writer of astonishing versatility and craft. Two of her early books of poetry which had gone out of print, Signs of Love and Sweet Dark Places, have been reissued in a combined volume, Signs of Love (Windstorm, 12.95). How to Be a Famous Lesbian Writer: An Autobiography in Progress is a very funny and, I m afraid, painfully accurate look at the travails of a writer s life. Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Cat expresses the reality of the Lesbian nation... How I Want You is the clearest and most romantic explication of desire you ll ever read, and I wish I had a woman in my life right now just so I could read her those words. No kidding, Signs of Love is breathtaking. --Deborah Peifer, Bay Area Reporter, March 1, 2001

Consider the titles of some of the 98 selections in Signs of Love, Leslea Newman s new collection of poems. Titles such as Rage and Mugged and Central Park Jogger. Consider these titles and consider yourself warned: The work of this distinctive and distinguished lesbian poet is as demanding, and rewarding, as it is impossible to pigeonhole. There are romantic poems and polemical poems... as well as erotic poems, very erotic poems, and stupendously steamy erotic poems. There are also angry poems about rape and bulimia: playful poems about cats and baby dykes; and pensive poems about writers and writing. A good number of these poems and some of the most affecting explore Newman s heritage. She writes with great tenderness about her grandmother, about Seders and Sabbaths, about the tastes and textures of growing up in Jewish Brooklyn in the 1960s. (She also includes a glossary of English translations for the many Yiddish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the book.... Newman writes with relentless candor about sexual abuse and eating disorders, about the pervasiveness of violence against women. Some or the angrier poems and there are quite a few of those here read like transcripts of therapy sessions, but others like Solstice Song, possess a grace that seems rooted in a hard-won place of great peace... The power of Signs of Love lies in its refusal to back off, ease up, or chill out. Leslea Newman writes with the volume on her original, memorable voice pumped all the way up. --Kevin Riordan, Philadelphia Gay News, April 6, 2001

Signs of Love by Leslea Newman was a Lambda Literary Award Finalist --Lambda Literary Award

About the Author

Lesléa Newman has received Poetry Fellowships from the Massachusetts Artists Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. She is the author of several other poetry collections including Still Life with Buddy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Windstorm Creative (September 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886383456
• ISBN-13: 978-1886383456
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #363,870 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Lesléa Newman is the author of 64 books for readers of all ages including the middle grade novel, HACHIKO WAITS, the poetry collection, STILL LIFE WITH BUDDY, the short story collection, A LETTER TO HARVEY MILK, and the children's books A SWEET PASSOVER, THE BOY WHO CRIED FABULOUS, THE BEST CAT IN THE WORLD, DONOVAN'S BIG DAY, and HEATHER HAS TWO MOMMIES. Her literary awards include poetry fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Artists Foundation. Nine of her books have been Lambda Literary Award finalists. A past poet laureate of Northampton, Massachusetts, she is a faculty member of Spalding University's brief-residency MFA in Writing program.