Craft Talk 1: Figuring Out Why a Poem Doesn’t Work for Me
Aug 8, 2018
poetry & craft talk & 2018
A book I’ve been trying to make my way through this summer is Calling A Wolf A Wolf, Iranian-American poet Kaveh Akbar’s first full-length
A Lovely Review Of “For My Son, a Kind of Prayer”
Mar 26, 2018
writing & 2018
I know I am late posting this to my blog, but I just had to say how happy I am with the review of my chapbook, For My Son, A Kind of Prayer, that
Rachelle Escamilla’s Interview With Me On “Out of Our Minds” on Kkup Cupertino | San Jose
Jan 26, 2018
my work & audio & 2018
Rachelle Escamilla · Richard Jeffrey Newman on KKUP I had the pleasure last week of spending an hour talking with Rachelle Escamilla, who
Some Thoughts About Harvey Weinstein and What He Represents
Oct 16, 2017
gender & 2017
I met the man I have come to think of as my Harvey Weinstein when I was around 13 years old. He was the head waiter at the catering hall where I
Trying to Write After Charlottesville
Aug 26, 2017
jewish & race & 2017
I’ve been trying to write something in response to Charlottesville for the past two weeks, but I’ve had a hard time finding the words. It’s not that
“Between the 1930s and the Year 2000…only 32 Novels Were Translated From Arabic Into Hebrew.”
Aug 20, 2017
writing & 2017
The post that statistic in the title comes from is from 2011. It’s by Olivia Snaije, Arabic and Hebrew: The Politics of Literary Translation, on the
Anatomy of a Book Cover
Jul 28, 2017
writing & 2017
Not too long ago, I received from my publisher, Guernica Editions, the final proof of the cover of my new book of poems, Words For What Those Men
Compulsory Heterosexuality at Work
Jul 7, 2017
gender & 2017
It’s been a long time since I’ve read Adrienne Rich’s essay, “Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence,” but I’ve been thinking about it a
I Miss the Muppets!
Jun 13, 2017
miscellaneous & 2017
I Know I’ve Had Orgasms That Changed Me
Jun 6, 2017
sex & 2017
A friend of mine who does not like jazz—especially anything that has a saxophone in it—told me once about a conversation she and her ex-husband, a
A Great Video on Racism by Maz Jobrani
May 31, 2017
race & 2017
Concerto for Two Men, by Ella Ben-Aharon
May 30, 2017
gender & 2017
My Students First Taught Me to Claim the Politics of My Survival
Apr 28, 2017
gender & education & 2017
Cleaning out some files in my office at school the other day, I found a copy of the introduction I gave in the spring of 2001 for two women who were
A Video of the Book Launch For “Veils, Halos & Shackles”
Apr 17, 2017
writing & 2017
Note: the poems in this video deal with sexual violence. I am happy that “For My Son, A Kind of Prayer” is in Veils, Halos & Shackles: