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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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So glad you have signed up to receive the For Random Learning Comes Newsletter! This is the one hundred and thirty-second edition.
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Big News! I will be having a reading in Jacksonville in mid July, and would really love to see those of you who can come. If you like getting a signed copy, this will be your first --but I hope not your last--opportunity. I will try to add a page to the site about upcoming events so everything is easy to find. Bring your interested friends too! More details as soon as I can divulge them!
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I recently published one new piece for you on my blog, which is called Why Publish Polemics and Why Now? It's first in the list of posts, down below the newsy part of this newsletter. The post talks about my rush to publish, spurred on my national events, and also about watching Good Night and Good Luck with George Clooney, a live broadcast of the Broadway play on CNN. You can judge, whether I interpret either event correctly. But both reality and fiction seem to portend a worrisome future.
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This has been an active week on social media if no where else, for me. The care and maintenance of a newly published book is much like the care and maintenance of a group of tomato plants, planted much too close together and growing into a kind of forest, as June stretches into July, in a land much too hot for most plants, not to mention people.
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As the garden calls for my attention in this inclement 90-plus-degree weather, so too does the blue screen with its many bells and whistles. In addition, this was the highly anticipated week of the great #NoKingsDay rallies, paired by fate and circumstance with the celebration of the birth of the Continental Army and of our President, both.
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The day before the rally, I received my rather patriotic-looking print proof of Polemics: Political Poems and Prose, or PPPP, as I like to call it, especially when weary of too much typing.
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This was a joyous occasion to be celebrated with an unboxing video. This video can be found on my social media, at Andrea W LeDew, Author on Facebook and @andrealedew most everywhere else. Please follow me there!
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I also made for social media a short video reading of my poem "Lunatic," which is about a wannabe king. It was written in response to Trump's comment about the judge being a lunatic, in one his umpteen cases, the one about an immigrant deported to El Salvador without due process.
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Following this dizzying no kings weekend, I cannot get out of my head the song, sung in the Broadway Musical Hamilton by George the Third, as a declaration of his love for his naughty colonies. Love which he would gladly prove, at the point of a gun.
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As the parade day in D.C. got closer, things got hotter in Los Angeles, with sloppy and flagrant ICE raids bringing protesters to the streets, in opposition. This, and a few cars on fire (the fact, that they happened to be driverless and made by a nonpreferred brand is perhaps irrelevant) allowed our President the opportunity for some saber-rattling.
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Our Florida governor and local law enforcement quickly echoed this sentiment, most memorably with threats of making violent protesters "graveyard dead." It seems that everyone was braced for violence, and considered it an almost inevitable consequence of so many people assembling, in the course of the No Kings Day rallies.
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Early Saturday, the threats of violence materialized as an attack on two legislators from Minnesota and their spouses was revealed. One couple was killed, while the other remained in hospital, while the gunman was still on the loose.
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The method, involving a man masquerading as a cop, seemed particularly despicable. Then as the icing on the cake, the spin on the story, said it was clearly a Democrat doing the shooting, upset about one legislator's support of harsher treatment of immigrants.
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Of course, later in the day, a manifesto and other evidence revealed the far right agenda of yet another senseless white male, engaging in a senseless shooting, inspired perhaps by prochoice policies of both legislators.
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The list of additional targets, left behind in the suspect's car, seemed engineered, all by itself, to inspire fear. Prominent people, such as potential VP Tim Walz, were on it, as well as the No Kings Rally itself, an eventuality which is terrible to contemplate.
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Despite this rocky start, the protests went on peacefully as planned. The Presidential Parade was equally uneventful, if soggier, and somewhat less inspiring.
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It has been delightful to see all the clever signs that have popped up in my feed. I did not make it to a rally myself, but I have it on good authority that the one in Jax was peaceful and well-attended. It was very gratifying to see that people are paying attention, even with such a red political haze clouding our vision here, so much of the time.
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Here in my own home, we endured a type of violence, one in a string of unfortunate accidents, in which one household item or another gets destroyed. We have been looking for a solution to the problem of intermittent, out of control temper tantrums for some time, and we may have found at least a temporary treatment. Hopefully, this will help to make our lives a little less eventful and somewhat less costly in that department. I think I speak for everyone when I say, we could all use a little more calm these days.
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One of my favorite parts of receiving a copy of the printed book was reading the dedication aloud to my husband. I had kept the text secret from him. He reacted just as I had hoped he would. Let me know what you think of it.
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I went ahead and approved the proof as-is ,and ordered some books for my own uses, which will be coming in a few weeks. By the time they get here, the print edition should be available at many sites on the internet.
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(Amazon, Apple, Baker& Taylor, Barnes & Noble, BorrowBox, cloudLibrary, Everand, Fable, Gardners, Kobo, Odilo, Overdrive, Smashwords, Thalia.de and Vivlio. Australian, French and German bookstores are included in this list!)
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Once it's up, you can order your copy by using the same link Books2Read.com/polemics or simply by typing in my name or the title of my book Polemics: Political Poems & Prose into the search bar of your favorite site. It's print on demand, so I'm not sure how long it takes to ship. Let me know what you experience.
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If you have a favorite bookstore, as many of us do, you may want to patronize it exclusively. I would love that! I do love to support independent bookstores. All you need to do is ask if they can order the book for you! Chances are they can. If you see my book on any shelves in a bookstore or library, please send me a photo! It is every author's dream come true.
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Please drop me an email in reply if you have any questions or want to give me any feedback.
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Still no progress on my novel, sorry. Too many butterflies to concentrate, at the moment.
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I did hear back from the local zine publisher called CityBusPrint, to whom I sent some poems. I made it into Edition No. 4! They will be showcasing this, their latest edition, at DCAZ (Duval Comic and Zine event) at the Public Library downtown Jacksonville, June 21st from 11-5. Do try to stop by. Many of my favorite local writers will be tabling there, including Damon Thomas, Nicole Zwolinski, Maxwell, and many others I'm forgetting.
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Thanks to those who have ordered the book already or plan to. And remember, libraries probably have my book in their catalogs too, if purchasing is too much to ask! Either way the book benefits! Looking forward to your impressions and reviews.
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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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