October Mourning

A Song for Matthew Shepard

By: Lesléa Newman

Narrated by: Emily Beresford, Luke Daniels, Tom Parks, Nick Podehl, Kate Rudd, Christina Traister

Audie Award Nominee, Multi-voiced Performance, 2013

On the night of October 6, 1998, a gay 21-year-old University of Wyoming student named Matthew Shepard was lured from a bar by two young men, then savagely beaten, tied to a fence on the outskirts of Laramie, and left to die. Five days later, Lesléa Newman arrived on campus to give the keynote speech for the University of Wyoming’s Gay Awareness Week. October Mourning is Lesléa Newman’s deeply personal response to the events of that tragic day and its brutal aftermath. This work of poetic imagination explores the impact of the vicious crime through fictitious monologues from various points of view, including the fence to which Matthew was tied, the deer that kept watch beside him, and even Matthew himself.

This stunning cycle of 68 poems serves as an illumination for listeners too young to remember and as a powerful, enduring tribute to Matthew Shepard’s life and legacy.

©2012 Lesléa Newman (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

Such Strong Emotions

Wow!! This had a lot packed into a small amount of time and it was all extremely powerful. The narration was fantastic and unique. Several voices took part in the narration. The story is just heartbreaking. The author made a fence a hero. t was just a moving portrayal of the story. I wasn't looking forward to a book told in verse, but needed one for a reading challenge and I was extremely happy with my choice. The story is a sad one, but it's a story that needs to be told. No one should ever have to go through what Matthew went through.