Lesléa Newman's Avatar

Lesléa Newman

@leslea.bsky.social

Creator of 87 books for readers of all ages including the children's books, "Joyful Song: A Naming Story," "Sparkle Boy," "The Babka Sisters," and "Heather Has Two Mommies" and the poetry collections for adults, "I Carry My Mother" and "I Wish My Father."

3,332 Followers  |  614 Following  |  23 Posts  |  Joined: 13.11.2024  |  1.8785

Latest posts by leslea.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Poetry from Daily Life: Does a blank sheet of paper give you 'page fright'? Try this In this week's column, author Lesléa Newman offers some advice for overcoming the anxiety that stems from struggling to start a new poem.

New poetry column about where ideas come from (may or may not be the Idea Store) www.news-leader.com/story/entert...

26.05.2025 11:53 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Thank you for your kind words about "Welcoming Elijah"!

17.04.2025 02:07 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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Wishing all who celebrate a sweet Passover.

15.04.2025 11:42 — 👍 2    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

Honored to be included.

15.04.2025 01:26 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Quick trip to NYC!

11.04.2025 16:44 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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From last night's Jeopardy, and yes, a contestant did know the answer.

02.04.2025 11:15 — 👍 8    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Thank you to UGA children's literature conference for inviting me to be Keynote Speaker. I had a wonderful time!

23.03.2025 14:28 — 👍 13    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
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Quote from The Children's Book Podcast - What Gives Lesléa Newman Hope What gives me hope is being in community with other people... people who are taking action, people who are writing letters, writing editorials, showing up at marches and protests, but most of all bein...

"What gives me hope is being in community with other people... people who are taking action, people who are writing letters, writing editorials, showing up at marches and protests, but most of all being kind to one another." - Lesléa Newman @leslea.bsky.social deepcast.fm/episode/what...

16.03.2025 12:12 — 👍 5    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
What Gives Lesléa Newman Hope – LiveWriters

Thank you @matthewcwinner.bsky.social for inviting me to say a few words about hope. Have a listen: www.livewriters.com/podcast/what...

15.03.2025 14:46 — 👍 2    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
Picture Book Previews, Poetry, and a Bit of Joy!

Here's my quarterly e-newsletter, chock full of news! mailchi.mp/lesleakids/f...

06.03.2025 21:11 — 👍 0    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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"One never becomes perfect at it. That’s why it’s called practice!" author Lesleá Newman on the power of first thoughts, writing as a way to cope with grief, and what she learned from studying with Allen Ginsberg

Grateful to @mohnslate.bsky.social for featuring me on her "Be Where You Are" substack talking about the daily practice of writing, breathing, just being. emilymohnslate.substack.com/p/one-never-...

27.02.2025 15:22 — 👍 3    🔁 2    💬 0    📌 0
Four poetry books by author Lesléa Newman

Four poetry books by author Lesléa Newman

More wonderful #Bookmail heartfelt poetry books written by @leslea.bsky.social
🏳️‍🌈 October Mourning A Song for Matthew Shepard
📘 Always Matt A Tribute to Matthew Shepard
👠👠 I Carry My Mother
🩶 I Wish My Father
Thanks Lesléa for supporting @kidlitforla.bsky.social

19.02.2025 07:06 — 👍 7    🔁 3    💬 0    📌 0
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Q&A with Lesléa Newman Lesl é a Newman is the author of the new children's picture book Joyful Song . Her many other books include the c...

Happy to be featured on the blog of @deborahkalb.bsky.social talking about my #picturebook "Joyful Song" deborahkalbbooks.blogspot.com/2025/02/q-wi...

17.02.2025 13:57 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 2
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Joyful Song: Sydney Taylor Book Award Blog Tour 2025 Interview with Leslea Newman and Susan Gal, author and illustrator of Joyful Song, a 2025 Sydney Taylor Honor Book in the Picture Book category.

So grateful to be part of the Sydney Taylor Book Awards blog tour! Thank you to all the judges for selecting "Joyful Song: A Naming Story" as an Honor Book. See what my fabulous illustrator, Susan Gal and I have to say about the creation of this book. www.hbook.com/story/blogs/...

11.02.2025 14:21 — 👍 7    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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February Reader @leslea.bsky.social's books include the memoirs-in-verse, I CARRY MY MOTHER and I WISH MY FATHER, the novel-in-verse, OCTOBER MOURNING: A SONG FOR MATTHEW SHEPARD, and the children’s book, JOYFUL SONG. Get micros in to Lesléa & the rest of the Feb team: fiveminutelit.com/submissions

09.02.2025 13:25 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0

I love this so much!

07.02.2025 14:02 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Thrilled and honored to be part of this collection with so many fantastic poets!

05.02.2025 14:18 — 👍 5    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0
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So excited to share the thrilling news that my children's book, "Joyful Song: A Naming Story" has received the Sydney Taylor Honor! Check out the shiny silver sticker!

27.01.2025 18:02 — 👍 27    🔁 0    💬 4    📌 1
Photograph of a picture book cover: Joyful Song: A Naming Story, written by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal. Cover depicts the title in exquisitely textured multi-color, with birds and flowers nesting around the words. Below and in front, two dogs chase after a small child holding a baby sibling.

Photograph of a picture book cover: Joyful Song: A Naming Story, written by Lesléa Newman, illustrated by Susan Gal. Cover depicts the title in exquisitely textured multi-color, with birds and flowers nesting around the words. Below and in front, two dogs chase after a small child holding a baby sibling.

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"...Susan then used Photoshop to digitally layer colored pencil drawings and painted textures with the watercolors to create the vibrant landscape." -Joyful Song: A Naming Story (2024) by Susan Gal and @leslea.bsky.social

🔎 #CopyrightPageArtNotes

26.01.2025 20:36 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 1    📌 0
Awards 2025 | ALA Webcast Video Production by Unikron This ALA award video production will be provided by Unikron webcast services

Remember to watch the @amlibraryassoc.bsky.social Youth Media Awards tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. east coast time. Always exciting and full of surprises. Livestream here: www.ala.unikron.com

26.01.2025 14:21 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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I didn’t think she’d want me to come; nevertheless, I boarded a plane. —"I'm Here" by @leslea.bsky.social in case you missed it

https://www.fiveminutelit.com/im-here

25.01.2025 00:00 — 👍 1    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 0
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My Grandmother's Chutzpah Everything I need to know about being Jewish came from her

My Grandmother's Chutzpah: onbeingjewishnow.substack.com/p/my-grandmo...

24.01.2025 19:06 — 👍 3    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0

So proud of you!

20.01.2025 12:52 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Matching fortunes!

29.12.2024 12:41 — 👍 7    🔁 0    💬 1    📌 0

Email me through my website and I'll see what I can do.

28.12.2024 13:38 — 👍 1    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
NBN Hanukkah Interview with Lesléa Newman
YouTube video by Mel Rosenberg NBN Hanukkah Interview with Lesléa Newman

Happy to chat with the fabulous Mel Rosenberg about my new book, "Hanukkah: A Celebration" www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_Up...

27.12.2024 12:40 — 👍 4    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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Happy Holidays to all, whichever you celebrate. May your day be filled with people you love, good food, good health, and peace.

25.12.2024 15:39 — 👍 9    🔁 0    💬 0    📌 0
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As children's book bans soar, sales are down and librarians are afraid. Even in California Book bans are tanking sales of children’s books. Schools and libraries aren’t buying books about LGBTQ+ issues and race as they brace for culture war pushback.

Check out this article in the L.A. Times (including video) discussing what is going on with book bans. www.latimes.com/california/s...

13.12.2024 22:41 — 👍 6    🔁 1    💬 0    📌 1
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Best Picture Books of 2024: Lesléa Newman | Kirkus Reviews The author of ‘Joyful Song: A Naming Story’ answers our questions

Kirkus unveiled our Best Picture Books of 2024 last week. Among our picks is JOYFUL SONG by Lesléa Newman, illus. by Susan Gal, the story of a loving queer family heading to the synagogue for a naming ceremony for their newest.

Check out my interview with @leslea.bsky.social here.

02.12.2024 21:46 — 👍 18    🔁 5    💬 0    📌 0

@leslea is following 20 prominent accounts