A masterful poetic exploration of the impact of Matthew Shepard's murder on the world. On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay twenty-one-year-old college student named Matthew Shepard was kidnapped from a Wyoming bar by two young men, savagely beaten, tied to a remote fence, and left to die. Gay Awareness Week was beginning at the University of Wyoming, and the keynote speaker was Lesléa Newman, discussing her book Heather Has Two Mommies. Shaken, the author addressed the large audience that gathered, but she remained haunted by Matthew's murder. October Mourning, a novel in verse, is her deeply felt response to the events of that tragic day. Using her poetic imagination, the author creates fictitious monologues from various points of view, including the fence Matthew was tied to, the stars that watched over him, the deer that kept him company, and Matthew himself. More than a decade later, this stunning cycle of sixty-eight poems serves as an illumination for readers too young to remember, and as a powerful, enduring tribute to Matthew Shepard's life. Back matter includes an epilogue, an afterword, explanations of poetic forms, and resources.

"A novel told in fifty poems, explores the passionate friendship between a woman and a gay man who dies of AIDS. Both deeply personal and undeniably universal, the narrator tells her story with rage, humor, sadness, and most of all, undying love."--Page 4 of cover.

Editor Lesléa Newman has collected the work of both well-known and emerging poets to create an anthology of some of the finest writers of any gender or sexual orientation writing poetry today. The probing fierceness of Adrienne Rich's "Love Poem," the stirring sensual incantation of Ellen Bass's "Praise," the intensely felt tenderness of Dorothy Allison's "Reason Enough to Love You," are just a few examples of the rich talent displayed in this volume. These poets have written daring confessions of love, sorrow, anger, and joy. Each poem is an elaborate confirmation of the resilience of the human spirit, and the ability to transform experience--including the struggle against the societal taboo of same-sex love--into brilliant poetry.

In her deepest and most personal work to date, Leslea Newman once again captures in eloquent, lyrical language the joys and sorrows of contemporary American life. From mother/daughter relationships to family dynamics, from cultural identity to aging and loss, Leslea Newman's keen observations will resonate with readers of any age and background.

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.