Author Archives: Richard Jeffrey Newman

The First Full Working Draft Is Complete!

Posted in Writing | 2 Comments

The Group Pneuma Has Set One of My Poems to Music for Their Upcoming Album

I am excited! The musical group Pneuma has set one of my poem to music for their upcoming album, which will be called Who Has Seen The Wind. The album has not yet been officially released, but you can listen … Continue reading

Posted in Writing | 2 Comments

Abortion in Jewish Law

I started to write a response to this comment by Limits of Language (LoL) on the A Record 102 Edition open thread, but my response got so long that I decided to make it a separate post. LoL wrote: My … Continue reading

Posted in Abortion & reproductive rights | 58 Comments

A Workshop I’m Leading and Two Reviews of “Words For What Those Men Have Done”

I’d like to share two things from my writing life that I am excited and happy about. Writing About What You Are Afraid To Write About @ The Ollom Arts Festival When: November 14th, from 6-8 PM Where: One Art … Continue reading

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Repost: Notes Towards a Discussion of Male Self-Hatred

(I originally posted this in 2012, but a conversation I had recently with some of my students made me think of it. I still think it raises some interesting questions, and so I am reposting it now.) In Kayak Morning, Roger … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Relearning The Value of Patience in Assembling a Book of Poems

It’s the middle of August, which means summer is almost over and I have to start preparing in earnest to go back into the classroom. This is the first summer in many years–at least fifteen, I think–that I’ve been off … Continue reading

Posted in Poetry, Writing | Comments Off on Relearning The Value of Patience in Assembling a Book of Poems

In Which I Have More To Say About The Politics Of Being A Man Who Has Survived Sexual Violence (and also about Junot Díaz)

In my previous post about Junot Díaz, I alluded to an essay I was in the middle of trying to write when I read the Boston Globe article in which he categorically denied the accusations of misogyny and sexual misconduct … Continue reading

Posted in Feminism, Men and masculinity, misogyny, sexual assault, sexual harassment | 2 Comments

The Janus Case: What Freedom’s All About. Or At Least That’s What They Want You To Think.

At the end of every academic year, my union hosts a dinner at which a group of faculty, staff, and administration put on a musical show, the main purpose of which is to poke fun at ourselves. It’s a wonderful … Continue reading

Posted in Union Issues | 22 Comments

I Am Deeply Disappointed in Junot Díaz…

Not because I know him (I don’t); not because his work has been important to me (I have read very little of it); but as a fellow survivor of childhood sexual violence. In April of this year, when I read … Continue reading

Posted in sexual assault, sexual harassment | 3 Comments

Claiming the Feminist Politics of My Survival

Author’s Note: In March of this year, I was invited to give a talk about being a male survivor of sexual violence during my campus’ Sexual Harassment/Assault Awareness Week. Uncharacteristically for my campus, where panel presentations on topics like this … Continue reading

Posted in Feminism, sexism, etc, Men and masculinity, Rape, intimate violence, & related issues, sexual assault | 17 Comments