Nassau Community College to Host Poetry Reading with Renowned Poet & Professor Richard Jeffrey Newman

Event is part of the NCC Creative Writing Program’s Lit Live! Reading Series

April 11, 2024, Garden City, NY – An exclusive poetry reading by esteemed Nassau Community College Professor of English and Creative Writing, Richard Jeffrey Newman, will take place on Wednesday, April 24 at 12:30 p.m. in room 252/253 of the College Center Building (CCB). The event, part of the Creative Writing Program’s Lit Live! reading series, will also be on Zoom. 

In what promises to be a thought-provoking event, Professor Newman will read selections from his latest book of poems, T’shuvah. This work is a profound exploration of the author’s personal journey of recovery and self-discovery following childhood sexual violence. T’shuvah is the final installment in Newman’s critically acclaimed trilogy, which also includes Word for What Men Have Done (Guernica Editions 2017) and The Silence of Men (Cavankerry Press 2006).

T’shuvah is the Hebrew word for “repentance,” from the root “to return.” With the caveat that a survivor of sexual violence has committed no sin, the poems in T’shuvah explore what it means for a survivor of sexual trauma to “return” from the alienation inherent in that experience.

Through T’shuvah, Newman navigates the complex terrain of healing and acceptance with raw honesty and lyrical prowess. The book serves as a moving example of the transformative power of poetry. “A poem for me, both as a writer and a reader, is a way of exploring the truth of an experience,” said Professor Newman. “And precisely because it is an exploration, the truth can be emotional, psychological and cultural, all at the same time.” He hopes his work will inspire readers to engage more deeply with their own experiences and the world around them.

A resident of Queens, Professor Newman is not only celebrated for his poetry, but also for his contributions to literature as a translator, notably for The Teller of Tales:  Stories from Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh (Junction Press 2011).

Sponsored by the Creative Writing Program, Nassau Community College’s Lit, Live! reading series brings to campus renowned writers from around the world. Among those who have read at NCC are Joyce Carol Oates, Charles Simic, Jamaica Kincaid, Yusef Komunyakaa, Tobias Wolff, Mark Doty, Marilyn Hacker, Nahid Rachlin, and Michael Thomas. These writers present their work in readings that are free and open to the public, conduct master classes and Q&A sessions for creative writing students, and meet with faculty groups.

Lit, Live! also sends writers from Nassau Community College out into the Long Island community to give lectures, readings and/or workshops at libraries, local public schools, art galleries, museums, or any other Long Island organization that would like to include literary activities in its offerings. The Faculty Profiles page contains biographies, samples of work, and contact information, or, for more general information, contact Dr. Sabrina Davis, Coordinator of the Creative Writing Program, at CreativeWritingProgram@ncc.edu.

Event Details:
Date:  Wednesday, April 24
Time:  12:30 pm
Location: Room 252-253, College Center Building, Nassau Community College
Admission:  Free/Open to the Public
More information

Media Contact:  Gail Mattimore | gail.mattimore@ncc.edu | (516) 572-9634

ncc.edu/newsreleases
Ref:2303.4/11/24/50

About Nassau Community College
Nassau Community College, a campus of the State University of New York, provides a comprehensive public college experience designed to transform lives through higher education. Serving 17,000 full-time, part-time and continuing education students, NCC offers more than 80 programs that lead to an associate’s degree or certificate. Through on-campus and online offerings, the College educates local and international students, and boasts 168,000 alumni. Situated on 225 acres in Garden City, Long Island, the college grounds reside in historic Nassau County, one of the most desirable locations to live in the United States and an epicenter for business and careers. Since 1959, NCC has earned a nationwide reputation for academic excellence, affordability, and ease of transferability to four-year schools.