Friday, May 2, 2014

October Mourning: a Song for Matthew Shepard

I haven't had poetry move me so much in a while. This collection of poems brings to life the horrifying and brutal murder of gay, twenty one year old Matthew Shepard in 1998. Lesbian poet, Leslea Newman (author of "Heather Has Two Mommies") recounts the shameful and shocking incident with true grace and raw emotion. The sixty eight different poems explores the impact of Matthews deaths through fictitious monologues from the perspective of: the fence, the killers, the biker who found him, Matthew himself, mothers across the country, and more. It's a very moving piece of work and definitely deserving of the Stonewall Honor it received. A must read for everyone!

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