Jone Rush MacCulloch
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Poetry Friday: I WISH MY FATHER by Lesléa Newman

1/15/2021

 
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Looking for good poetry posts?  Start here at Margaret at Reflections on the Teche who is sharing nesting poems and a fabulous oak and moon poem.  She is also rounding up all the Poetry Friday's post.

Who knows Lesléa Newman the fabulous author of SPARKLE BOY, GITTEL's JOURNEY, MISS TUTU'S STAR, and DONOVAN"S BIG DAY to name a few? And for teens, the must read book, October Mourning: A SONG FOR MATHEW SHEPARD.

Did you know she also writes for adults?  This month her latest book, I WISH MY FATHER, was published.  It's a companion book to I CARRY MY MOTHER.  Both books honor, give witness, and celebrate her parents.

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I was sent an advanced copy of I WISH MY FATHER when Lesléa Newman offered them on Facebook.  She include her book about her mother as well.  She uses poems such as "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" by Wallace Stevens or "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost or "Who Has Seen the Wind" by Christina Rossetti as well as others as inspirations for her mother's poems that chronicle her illness and passing..  It's a wonderful mentor text.
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I WISH MY FATHER delves into life without her mother, how her father coped after losing his wife of 60+ years, and aging. It is a loving tribute filled with poems that resonated with this reader. I remember how my father lived without his wife and life partner of 50 + years.  Moments of sadness, followed by his flirtatious nature and grappling with issues like giving up driving and moving to assisted living while keeping his dignity.

Poems such "My Father Drove My Mother", "The Second Time We Visit" revealing the hard decision to give up driving is crafted with tenderness and a doctor who was brilliant in getting to the point. It brought me back to when my father decided not to drive anymore.

There's an aching in the poem "My Father is Slipping" with the words: 
"...and that's how I know the ladies"

man my mother loathed 
and loved for all her life
has finally slipped away"

In the final poem, "My Mother is at the Bridge" imagines what it was like when her father and mother met up in heaven.  So poignant and the last stanza is perfect.  Many of us imagine those reunions the our loved ones pass from this earth.  We want to make sense of what is no longer.  I have imagined the reunion of my parents.

These narrative poems capture Lesléa Newman's love for her dad and who he was as a person in the last acts of his life.  Many readers who has lost their parents will be able to connect with these moving poems.

If you need a poetry book or two, I highly recommend I WISH MY FATHER and I CARRY MY MOTHER.

WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER

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Gail Aldous won the calendar. Please email me your mailing address, Gail.

jan/Bookseedstudio link
1/15/2021 12:43:49 pm

hi dear Jone. I know Ms. Leslea Newman from crying with her through the important OCTOBER MOURNING A Song for Matthew Shepard, that is brilliant, heartfelt & astonishing in her capturing of that horriffic event in our modern U.S. history. Her other titles including these two family inspired ones you so kindly share, are new to me. Appreciations for helping add depth to my 2021 list.

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:18:03 pm

Yes, October Mourning is stunning and should be on everyone's list. I loved these two books as well. Such beautiful writing,

Gail Aldous
1/15/2021 11:14:59 pm

Jone, I love Leslea Newman's books! No, I didn't know about these two adult poetry books. Thank you so much for sharing them because I too have lost both of my parents, my father in 2011 and my mother in 2019 and I have wondered about their meeting in heaven. I also have been looking for mentor books to help improve my writing so I will have to look into these books. Thank you, I appreciate you sharing.

PS I'm excited I won the calendar with your beautiful photo and haiku. I will email you my address. Thank you.

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:18:58 pm

They will be excellent mentor books, Gail.

Mary Lee
1/16/2021 05:53:48 am

I am definitely going to look for these books! I love Newman's writing!

And your poem...SALTY air indeed!!!

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:20:53 pm

Yes, you will like these two.

Linda Baie link
1/16/2021 06:39:22 am

I guess many of us can connect with these two poetry books, Jone. I've said goodbye to my parents and my husband's as well, leaving memories I treasure. I envy you your frequent trips to the sea & your calendar with poems looks wonderful. Have a good weekend, no matter the "outside" news!

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:21:56 pm

Yes, I think anyone who has lost a family member or a loved one will relate.

Linda Mitchell
1/16/2021 07:36:26 am

ooooooh. This looks good and close cutting to the bone. I took a class with Leslea Newman in the fall at Highlights and she was marvelous! I think I need to read this book. Her knowledge of craft and literature are super strong. Thanks for the tip!

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:23:01 pm

I agree, what she knows about the craft is incredible. She critique the first ten pages of my WIP and it was so helpful.

Kay Jernigan McGriff
1/16/2021 01:11:50 pm

Reading and listening to Mourning for Matthew Sheperd is seared into my memory.. Thank you for sharing these two collections by Newman.

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:24:11 pm

I think you will find these books pretty incredible.

Michelle Kogan link
1/16/2021 10:38:58 pm

Thanks for your rich review of Lesleá Newman's book, I visited her website and read an excerpt from her moving book–that's now hooked me–and what an eye catching cover too!

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:24:50 pm

She has so many books! I hope you read her.

Ruth link
1/17/2021 05:56:59 am

Thank you! Sounds great!

Laura Purdie Salas link
1/17/2021 11:03:44 am

Thanks for sharing this, Jone. Sounds like so much of what my dad is going through since my mom passed 4-1/2 years ago. And he needs to stop driving (but won't). I love October Mourning--one of my favorites. Leslea is just brilliant.

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:26:09 pm

Oh Laura, I understand. It's difficult to watch our parents move through this.

Margaret Simon
1/17/2021 03:09:29 pm

During the school shut down, I attended a webinar with Leslea Newman on writing poetry. I realized I already had one of her books and was happy to revisit it. Thanks for the book suggestion.

Jone MacCulloch
1/17/2021 03:36:08 pm

Margaret, We may have been in the same seminar. I took one from her last spring. It was so good.






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