Dear John—

by Laura LeHew

Scheduled Release Date: Nov 15, 2021

Dear John— is a collection of poems that investigate explore the multi-facets of love by using diverse points of view to reveal romantic love, loving friendships, and love that is complicated. The namesake poem for which this book was conceived, the final poem, “Dear John—,” is an epistolary poem in multiple stanzas ultimately on which the theme of this book is derived. “what happens between the notes // is the living.”

---

Laura LeHew’s work addresses the sublimation of the human emotions and the trouble remembering them. The evocative language along with the monosyllabic words bring to life a collage of grief, desire, loss, sexuality, and repression. Line after line a new secret is revealed, just like peeling an onion down to the core revealing the enigma of how a human negotiates with the natural world, and how men and women define their conduct within, between them and society. I am mesmerized and surprised by the use of “personified punctuation” which become integral parts of the poem as well as the mystery of the black-out word. LeHew’s poetry is stunning, clear, and melodic. It makes me understand better women’s emotions.

—Raúl Sánchez, author of All Our Brown-Skinned Angels and 2019-2021 City of Redmond Poet Laureate

For complete details, reviews and ordering information click here.