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Writings of Andrea W. LeDew
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So glad you have signed up to receive the For Random Learning Comes Newsletter! This is the one hundred and twenty-ninth edition. And what a special edition it is!
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Oh my goodness, I am so excited!
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It took me a month, rather than two weeks, but I can now confidently say, that I have rung all the bells and sounded all the whistles necessary to make my new collection, Polemics: Political Poems & Prose, appear on bookstore websites!
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The e-book is currently available for pre-order on several sites, with more locations being added each day. The current publication date is set for June 1st, fingers crossed! That is when preorders would be printed and shipped and your card actually charged on the bookstore websites.
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Polemics is a whopping 352 pages long and contains 78 items dealing with controversies of our time. The print paperback is 352 pages, that is. In e-books, length is a more relative thing, I believe, measured more in megabytes than in pages.
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Either way you read it, the book contains all my best political poems, essays, and a single short story from the time period 2016-2025 (April 2025, to be exact.)
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In a time like ours, when politics has so many people feeling down and out, I felt the best medicine was to remind them of all that we have been through in the last ten years. With any luck, there must be light at the end of this long, dark tunnel!
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Besides gathering all the poems together in one volume, I have gone to the trouble of dating them, and have provided you with little reminders of the current events which inspired each one.
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A few poems at the end of the book deal with very recent events. These have never seen the light of day. I hope that they, along with the rest of the collection, will prove worthy of your time and attention. The pieces that did previously appear on the website are no longer there, I'm afraid. The collection Polemics is now the only way to revisit them.
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I am still waiting for the print edition "proof," but everything looks, digitally, to be in order. After I receive it, I will approve the printing process and will be ordering a few copies for myself.
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I will let you know, when the book is available in print for pre-order, in case you, like me, prefer to hold a book in your hand. I will also share a book link with you in my next missive, which will allow you to purchase at any of a number of different shops, without having to search them up yourself. Although, of course, you are welcome to do so.
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I would be so grateful for your reviews, should you be so inclined. I could use a few to put on my cover, which I will likely update in a few months. A positive review on any bookselling site is also helpful, although under no circumstances obligatory.
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I am also working on making official author pages on various sites such as FaceBook, Instagram and GoodReads etc. where you can easily find my personal accounts now. The official pages may be slightly delayed depending on how smoothly this goes. I am happy to receive any constructive criticism and error-spotting messages privately.
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Once I have some physical books in hand, I look forward to finding opportunities to do readings and to share or discuss my book with those who have an interest. People can contact me through my website or through the newsletter email or send lighter messages on social media etc.
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I hope you will find the collection moving and inspiring and reassuring. We, the vast majority of Americans, have not forgotten who we are or what we believe, no matter how crazy it looks out there! I hope the end result of reading Polemics will be to increase people's enthusiasm and willingness to work toward a better future.
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I hope to do an unboxing video when I get the proof, so, if you prefer, wait till then to see the cover. I'll give you a hint: it's patriotic!
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Hope all is well with you and yours! And Happy Memorial Day!
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Please recommend my newsletter (and Polemics, my poetry and prose book) to your friends, and keep an eye out for my next newsletter! I'll send a link as soon as I can, but you're also welcome to find the book on your own and pre-order!
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So Close and Yet So Far
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This essay discusses the Semiquincentennial celebration and compares it with Fourths of Years gone by.
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Drawing
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A poem on redistricting, the drawing of new districts to serve the ruling party's political purposes, with the blessing of the Supreme Court and with enthusiasm unchecked by either the people's will nor the State's Constitutional provisions.
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Attempt
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A poem describing the swirling emotions on and offline provoked by the attempted assassination of President Trump at the dinner for the press. Caveat: I do not doubt the attempt on his life was real. P.S. The photo is an attempt at beauty.
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Approaching May 1st, 2026, Anniversary of The Great Fire, Jacksonville, FL
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A poem about a very dry spring in Florida which calls to mind the terrible fire which consumed Jacksonville early in the 20th century.
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Smiles
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This poem analyzes the loss of reputation of the US in the eyes of its closest allies, and the attitude it projects, about that loss.
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