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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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Events and Readings by Andrea W LeDew
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This page has a list of past and future events and readings of Andrea W LeDew, Author of Polemics: Political Poems & Prose.
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Thank you for subscribing to the For Random Learning Comes newsletter!
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I slowed down my podcast schedule a bit so I don't have too much new to announce. I have one scheduled on October 1 and one on the 16th. Both are very bookish podcasts so I'm excited that they find my book of interest. I'm also hoping they will put my book and my message in front of an interested audience. Many people are interested to some degree in politics, but not all are readers. And only a small cross section of them read poetry.
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I was trying to do podcasts weekly and I found that a little overwhelming. It was interfering with me getting anything else done. I was also dealing with some behavioral issues at home which seem to have calmed down a bit. As many of you know, it is a challenge when your everyday life and your writing life duke it out for your time and attention.
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My newly released and/or still pending podcast guest appearances are listed below. You can find links to those that are released on my website Events page (link above)or Apple Podcasts and other platforms.
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Elsplend Realities Recorded July 24 (released)
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Infinite Dialogs with Oti Jay recorded July 17 (pending)
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Beyond the Draft recorded June 12 (pending)
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Uncle Jimmys podcast recorded August 4(pending)
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Human Enough recorded August 8 and (released)
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Apollo Papyrus Podcast recorded April 8 (pending)
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Lethal Venom Podcast recorded November 20 (released)
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Southern Reads recorded June 26 and (released)
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My Blurred Opinion podcast recorded early June (released)
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Mike Wagner podcast recorded December.
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All have different release schedules and I never know when to expect a release. But it's always a pleasure to hear how well they come out!
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I just went to Jax Book Fest at the downtown public library on September 19. I hadn't been to a book fair in a while so I had to get organized but my kit now fits neatly in one rolling bag, along with twenty books. I remember when I went to Amelia Island Book Festival last year, all I had were cardboard boxes and a dolly. Sometimes you have to invest in equipment to do the job right ( also true of podcast guesting!)
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I had the good fortune to be paired with Damon Thomas, known as @ruralgloom on Instagram and the Web, who writes about small town Florida in weird and wonderful snippets of flash fiction. He is also a great performer and runs a radio show on wgot radio in Gainesville. I contributed a poem once, and hope to do so again soon. What a thrill to hear your own voice on the radio! Which now, of course, you can access online. It's early--6:30 am--but well worth it.
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The Book Fest was great fun. It was held in the Jacksonville Main Public Library in downtown Jax and many of my writer friends were tabling or wandering around. Some I saw there were Tim Gilmore, Victoria Nations, Michael O'Connell, and Johnny Masulewicz and I know Sohrab Homi Fracis was also there, from his posts.
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I also really enjoyed the conversations with people who stopped by to talk about the book or current issues. I was flattered that even a person who confessed to having voted for our current president was willing to engage for a short while. We all really need to talk to each other. As my husband always say, communication, communication, communication!
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For those of you newly signed up to my newsletter at the Jax Book Fest, thank you for joining! And if you took a book home with you, I hope you enjoy that too. I know, "enjoy" is perhaps not the right word. It's like saying, I hope you enjoy going to the doctor! My book is not necessarily totally meant to entertain or to provide escape. On the contrary, it is about looking more closely and examining carefully things we might have overlooked or preferred to ignore. Let's say instead that I hope you find the books of value, and please don't be shy about leaving me a review. I can always use more of those.
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In October I'll be going to the Florida Writer's Convention. I have more of a passive role there. The long weekend is about meeting other Florida Writers and writer-adjacent professionals, learning more about the craft and giving the one minute elevator speech over and over.
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My book now has a link to my Square Landing page, which I believe is now active. It's on the frlcnews.com homepage at the top left. Check it out if my rather cluttered site overwhelms you with all the nonsense of the last fifteen years. Also I'd love feedback on how the square page is working. I set it up to give myself a way to have people simply order without distraction, and a way to mail copies of the book myself, without having to store any sensitive info.
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Finally, in January, I am going to be tabling at the Sunshine State Book Festival in Gainesville January 23, 2027. I'd love to know who else is going. Gainesville, that is University of Florida, is my alma mater, and it has been some time since I've visited!
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I'm in the final stretch of making a rough draft of my sequel to Polemics. As I think I mentioned, I stretch back to some early work that seems newly relevant and stretch forward to my most recent, newly minted work that has yet to see the light of day. Hoping the putting together is a little easier this time! Perhaps I'll be ready to share my title then, maybe even the cover!
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Like I said my new stuff has been saved for the new book, so not much is being posted on the website at the moment. But to give you a taste, I just wrote a poem entitled "National Security" about the favorite excuse of our President's, whenever he attempts something that no one would have tolerated in a previous iteration of America. Taking away press passes of whole networks, for example.
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Well that's enough for now! Thanks again to all you newbies. Be sure to follow me on socials @andrealedew! Hoping the next newsletter in two weeks will see my book in its final edits! And please please make your plan to vote early in the midterms!
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Hope all is well with you and yours!
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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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