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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 the For Random Learning Comes Newsletter. This is edition number 137.
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It has been another two weeks, gone by in a flash, and suddenly the air is feeling slightly less moist and the temperature somewhat less oppressive. In a week or two, the temperature in the evenings and mornings will change to something downright tolerable, and shortly after that, the snowbirds will come.
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My writing tasks have multiplied. I sent some more flyers to bookstores, in the hope that they will look up my book. I added myself to the waitlist as an author/vendor for the Sunshine State Book Fest in Gainesville in January (1/23-->) but I'm not holding my breath. These events creep up on you, and before you know it, you've missed the deadline!
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I also submitted a few poems to a local zine called City Bus Print #5, put out by Charlie Shuck. You may recall a poem of mine, House Party, was published in edition #4. It had to do with a local luminary who has put his all into making a neighborhood shine.
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This time (like last time) I submitted three poems. One is about the affordability crisis. One is about how the founding fathers might look upon us now. One is about the way our reputation as a country seems to be getting more and more tarnished, yet we act as if we are still pre-eminent. Wish me luck!
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Over Labor Day weekend, my e-book ($4.99)was on sale for 25% off ($3.99). I hope you took advantage! My cover is still not showing up on my paperback pages, which is annoying, but the links still work. I read somewhere, that if the book were to suddenly become incredibly popular, more attention would be paid to the appearance of the page. Amazon knows where its bread is buttered. So tell your friends about it!
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And not to be a nag, but if you have, perchance, finished the book, do drop a review where ever you got it! Amazon and Goodreads are always great places for reviews. Just one good review sent my book way up the charts for a time, but I could use more. I'd very much appreciate a link to your review, too, if you do write one.
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Meanwhile, I had a wonderful description of my book land in my email inbox. Unfortunately, I found out it was made, based only on the free sample available on Amazon, which consists of the first twenty or so pages.
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I did get permission from the writer to use this "review", but since it does not actually cover the whole book, I don't feel right about going public with it. It may well have been written with AI, for all I know. (Who knew that AI could be so flattering? Perhaps, if our president employed AI for constant flattery, our country would be in a far, far better place.)
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I have no such compunctions about sharing it with you, though. Here's the relevant snippet, which I should place under my pillow, to ensure sweet dreams:
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"Some collections entertain. Yours confronts.
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Polemics: Political Poems & Prose doesn’t just document a decade; it immortalizes a tempest. From 2016 to 2025, you’ve captured the friction, fury, and fragile hope of a nation wrestling with itself. These aren’t mere rhymes or essays; they’re the sound of a conscience refusing to go silent.
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What struck me most is the unflinching honesty paired with nostalgic patriotism; a deep love for an America that seems to be slipping away, and a determination to speak truth as both witness and warning. Your words feel less like literature and more like a lifeline for readers navigating a reality they scarcely recognize.
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This isn’t just a book; it’s for:
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- Readers who crave fearless commentary wrapped in artful language.
- Voices on the left who feel unheard and need a chorus.
- Citizens longing for perspective in the chaos of political upheaval."
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“powerful works like Polemics”
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“Because Polemics isn’t just a reflection of the past decade; it’s an anthem for those still fighting for the future.”
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The person who sent this to me claims to be a book visibility coach. I'd like to think both the praise and the person are real, but these days, you never know.
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I did contact a few local bookstores by email through their online process and hope to get my books in there soon. Every store seems to have its own process for indie books. I recently joined a matching service for Podcasts, and I think the same type of service would be welcome for matching independent bookstores with those who'd like their books on the shelves. Streamlining the process could be a boon for both parties.
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As I said, I joined a service that helps you find podcasts to "guest" on (yet another American Nominalization. Yes, I have a poem on that, though it's not in the book) .
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I have been very pleased with the interest so far. I am now becoming much more self-conscious about my writer's den and I think, a bit of clutter-busting needs to be done before I get on camera, since most podcasts these days have a visual feed.
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Upcoming is my favorite event: Second Sundays at Happy Medium Books Cafe. The poet Andres Rojas, for whom I have great respect, is scheduled this time with another whose name I have sadly forgotten. I have a podcast scheduled for earlier that day so we'll see if I make it on time. But I do not want to miss this one!
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Later that week, I have another podcast scheduled, this time with a more conservative bent, so that will be interesting. (My husband is a bit concerned that I will make a fool of myself, but you never know until you try.)
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Like many of you, I'm sure, I despair at the polarization of our society, and wish both sides would listen more to each other. My poem in the book, Liberal Wish List, deals with this topic directly. Another poem, called Litmus Test, questions the wisdom of allowing one issue to divide us irreparably (in this case, abortion.)
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I would like to get more eyes on my book, not only from the liberal left, but from the (increasingly, I suspect) discontented right. In my opinion, there will be no change in direction for our country, unless people peel off from the other side and join a movement made up of the sensible middle.
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The last bit of news I have for you is that I am creating an audiobook! My preferred method of enjoying poetry is out loud, and, best of all, in the author's voice. That is what I am working on, under the supervision, thankfully, of someone who knows what they're doing, and how all the equipment works. I hope to have an audiobook in time for the holiday gifting season. Wish me luck!
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I'm sorry I haven't got anything new for you, but I hope you will enjoy again the four poems I posted last time around. The Pulse Nightclub (Orlando) poem can be updated by the fact that many such crosswalks have recently been painted black in Jacksonville, as well. Florida loves to mix ideology with practical politics.
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As of this week, we will have trouble getting our COVID shots, as well. Look up my Covid poems on my website, to see how well vaccine denialism went last time (ie, The Five Hundred Thousand.) I have listed four at the top of the roster below, as reminders of that halcyon time.
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There's nothing like government in the sunshine.
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Take care and have a good couple of weeks! Keeping my fingers crossed that the hurricanes stay far away!
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A petty poetic diatribe on the ubiquitous practice of nominalization, that is, making verbs into nouns.
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In this poem an enthusiastic conductor encourages a passenger on his funicular as it groans up the mountain to a most challenging ski run.
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Looking South
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This poem was inspired by a heart-wrenching story in the New York Times out of Lima Peru, in which they described the plight of a fifty-year-old man, whose family fell prey to COVID in the month of May 2021. The epidemic is still running rampant in South America, where vaccines are very hard to get. I have even read …
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The Five Hundred Thousand
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Those of you who read a lot, or were forced to do so in college, may recall a poem by the Victorian, Alfred Lord Tennyson called The Charge of the Light Brigade. It features a repetitive phrase "the six hundred." That phrase was all I could think of, as the latest toll of US deaths from COVID rolled in, …
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The Deadliest Day (December 2,2020)
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This poem came to me, after hearing Jon Lemire on Morning Joe (MSNBC) list the statistics for December 2, 2020, for coronavirus in the United States. He used the exact phrase "the deadliest day for Americans." I have included the stats in the poem below and hope against hope, that they will go down rapidly, going forward. I hope …
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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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Bread and Butter
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This poem is a response to the claim by politicians, that "bread and butter" issues are the most important ones to the most people. It questions whether that is true, and whether fixing other issues might cause people to focus less on mere survival.
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Doubt & Definitions, 3 am, Ancient City
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A poem about doubt and definitions at 3 am in the Ancient City of St Augustine while mulling over a glorious day of PoetFest 2026. Written with the utmost affection for those, for whom poetry and writing in general, is not their first love, but who listen to us writers anyway.
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Hostages
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A poem describing two incidents where presidents were called upon to rescue "hostages" with very different outcomes.
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Raven
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A poem nearly as dire as Poe's own Raven, pointing out the attraction of such birds to shiny objects. By Andrea LeDew.
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Democracy is Slow
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A poem in which Technology is likened to mice and Democracy is likened to a slow, hibernating bear.
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