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Writings of Andrea W. LeDew
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Buy Now: Polemics: Political Poems & Prose
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This is the page to buy Polemics: Political Poems & Prose. The button will lead you to a universal link at Books2Read, from which you can choose your favorite vendor.
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Thank you for subscribing to For Random Learning Comes newsletter!
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I find myself at the end of January (a few days late with this newsletter) out of breath and amazed at all that has happened in the news. With two deaths in Minneapolis, my former hometown, and bizarre reports of surveillance that surpasses even my worst fears of privacy invasion, it is surprising that I have not yet been stupefied into a state of cowed silence.
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This month I have engaged in two new podcasts, one called Failcraft, which delves into how failures can inspire successes. We talked about how the horrors of our current US political situation made publishing the tome Polemics seem more and more urgent to me, and how with each passing day, it seems, in my humble and ever-unbiased opinion, more relevant. You know how we lawyer-types love things to be relevant.
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Another podcast I guested on was called Think Green with T.G. It centers on sustainable and green practices and the host noticed that among the subjects in my book is climate change. If you have the book, the most environmentally conscious of the poems in the book are probably a ballad containing a father-son dialog, called Regrets, which I read on-air, and the poem Waste which talks about things people have thrown away or waste they have created, over the generations. There are many other green poems on my website.
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But of course the book also expresses my general dismay at the dismantling of government and regulations, which has led the US, formerly a leader in environmental progress, to become a mere bit player. This, in turn, has discouraged the rest of the world from taking climate change seriously, to the peril of all of us.
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We discussed many of these topics. Both podcasts should come out soon. I'll list them on my Events page when I have the links. You can find my podcasts to date there, as well as any in person events I engage in.
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Speaking of in person events, I had a wonderful time at The Jax Urban Book Festival on January 24 in downtown Jacksonville, FL. I found out about it at the last minute, two weeks before and signed right up for half a table. I had a lovely tablemate named Vanessa P Santos from Texas who writes about Mental Health, and she and I and my daughter who studied Psychology had wonderful conversations.
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I got to speak with several people who were disgruntled or disillusioned by current events, and my table mate said that when she first saw my table, with its red white and blue, she wasn't sure if I was MAGA or not. She was relieved to find I am most definitely NOT.
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I made sure to wear my "Patriotic Liberal" hat after that, at the risk of having some say that the slogan is an oxymoron. I was also wearing my Mayo and Tomato shirt from Bitter Southerner (it's a sandwich, for those who wonder.) See the picture below (note the fire scarf, used in my book burning costume a few months back.) I was happy, in addition to selling a few books, to have new people sign up for my newsletter. If you are one of those, Welcome!!
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Finally, my poems for the last few weeks. You'll find them after the Book Festival picture below.
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First is Politely Decline, which praises those who refuse to comply with ridiculous requests of the government, such as indicting a reporter like Don Lemon, for the crime of reporting news.
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Two judges, a lower court and an appeals judge in Minnesota, refused to issue a warrant for Lemon's arrest (he was reporting in a church into which a protest had gone, and has been charged with crimes under a law meant to protect the clients of abortion clinics as well as churches and under the KKK act. Again the irony, since Don Lemon is himself black.) Bondi then sent it to a grand jury, and as Glenn Kirschner on Substack likes to say, a grand jury will indict a ham sandwich.
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Please follow, subscribe and give love to all the independent journalists in your online world. We need them! If you frequent Substack you will find me there as well. If you don't know who to follow, take a look at my restacks!
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My second poem is called Safe Haven. I derive this title from a news report on the shooting of Renee Good, where it said that after having lived several other places, she and her wife looked upon Minneapolis as their safe haven. The irony is cruel, as was the act itself. I draw upon my many winters as a teen and tween in Minneapolis for this chilly, moody, foreboding poem. May that city's ordeal be over soon!
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P.S. Don't forget that my audiobook (recorded by me in a studio in my own very human voice!) is out on Spotify where you can listen to the opening poem, "Election Night" for free. Should be out soon on Audible, as well. Check everywhere you get your audiobooks. Let me know if you find it in the wild! Happy listening!
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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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