October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard

October Mourning: A Song for Matthew ShepardOctober Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Lesléa Newman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"October 12, 1998" Somebody entered the world with a cry, Somebody left without saying good-bye -Newman

I read this short collection of poems while sitting in the public library. Any review I write is not going to adequately portray the emotion behind Newman's words. Author Leslea Newman was scheduled to be the keynote speaker for Gay Awareness Week October 1998 at University of Wyoming just days after Matthew Shepard was murdered. He was tied to a fence, beaten, and left to die in a heinous hate crime- because he was gay. He was lured by his murderers under the guise that they, too, were gay and just looking to have fun. He was instead murdered. Author Newman was given the option to not deliver her keynote- but she did as she felt it was the right thing to do. This book is a fictionalized collection of poems based on the real-life murder of Matthew Shepard. It is a 2017 Lincoln award nominee, and I highly recommend it.

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