Category Archives: Writing

Articulating Why You Think Your Work Matters

Posted on February 5, 2017 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I wish I could remember who gave me the advice that you should never submit poems with a cover letter explaining what you thought the poems were about and/or what you wanted them to accomplish. To explain, this person said, was … Continue reading →

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Contract Signed! Words for What Those Men Have Done Will Be Out Later This Year

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Please forgive the back-to-back self-promotional postings, but I am excited! My second book of poems, Words for What Those Men Have Done, has (finally!) found a home with Guernica Editions. The book should be out later this year. Here are the lines from which the book’s title … Continue reading →

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Two of My Poems Are Up at Flatbush Review

Posted on January 29, 2017 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I am very happy that Flatbush Review, a new and exciting online literary magazine, has published two of my poems, “Clean,” and “Not Yet The Women They Would Grow Up To Be.” Interestingly, they both take place in the rain. Hence, the image … Continue reading →

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Everyone Who Reads Rumi in English Should Read This New Yorker Article

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Written by Rozina Ali, the article is called “The Erasure of Islam from the Poetry of Rumi,” and it says something that Iranians I know have been saying for a very long time—something that I learned from them, in fact. … Continue reading →

Posted in Iran, Islam, Writing | 5 Comments

A Launch Party, Some Other Upcoming Events, and Publication News

Posted on May 30, 2016 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

Upcoming Events It’s been a while since I’ve posted here—I’m hoping to get back to more regular blogging soon—but June is coming and I have a lot to tell you about, starting with Ghostbird Press’ 2016 launch party, which will be … Continue reading →

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A Video of the First US Launch Reading for Veils, Halos & Shackles

Posted on April 24, 2016 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

https://youtu.be/unDjxal1P18 Note: the poems in this video deal with sexual violence. This reading, which took place at the Long Island Writers House on April 17th, was truly powerful. It was a privilege to be the first reader among such fine poets. I hope you’ll take … Continue reading →

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For My Son, A Kind of Prayer Is Out! And Other Publication Announcements

Posted on April 10, 2016 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

April 2016 has definitly not been cruel to me. I have three publication announcements I’d like to share with you. Announcement One: For My Son, A Kind of Prayer I am very happy to announce that my new chapbook For My Son, … Continue reading →

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Publication News: Two Days Left to Preorder Veils, Halos & Shackles

Posted on February 25, 2016 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I am normally more on top of these things, but somehow the email letting me know about the special pre-order discount ($14.95, which is $10 off the cover price) on Veils, Halos & Shackles: International Poetry on the Oppression and … Continue reading →

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What I’m Reading: Spinster, by Sylvia Ashton-Warner

Posted on December 15, 2015 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

I’ve been slowly making my way through Spinster, a novel by Sylvia Ashton-Warner. The book, which was first published in 1959, is a fascinating story about a white teacher of Maori children in New Zealand. The books is really interesting … Continue reading →

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Making Fear a Thing of Beauty

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Richard Jeffrey Newman

A reading and workshop built around strategies for turning what scares you into art. When: December 12, 2015, 2:00 – 3:30 PM Where: QED Astoria, 27–16 23rd Avenue, Astoria NY 11105 To buy $5 tickets click here. Here’s the Facebook … Continue reading →

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