EMERGENCIES OF THE HEART
Leslie McGraw
2nd Edition
About the Collection
"For days, I swapped my favorite TV shows for the non-stop media event. For months, I was depressed, teary, and wrapped up in the news coverage, lives of the victims, and the survivors. I wanted to know something about each victim; each individual legacy that was unfolding prior to 9-11.
Eventually, I came to understand that my extreme reaction was partially because it gave me the permission to cry about my own disappointments and losses without being labeled, judged, or alienated. I could finally begin my own grieving process while feeling connected.
These poems, written between September 11, 2001 and Autumn 2013, are a collection of thoughts and dreams that rise out of the ashes of defeat and disappointment. This is not a book about 9-11 and death. This is a book about life, love, purpose, hope, and the valuation of time –all of which I have assessed differently since the events that occurred on 9-11. As the new towers have gone through the stages of the best and the brightest, to the lowest…to Ground Zero, and now back to an inspiring tower of freedom, I am encouraged to move forward in love and stand tall in power with new hopes and expectations." - Leslie McGraw
Leslie began sharing her poetry in the open mic arena and has been a featured spoken word poet across Southeast Michigan for over 14 years. Leslie is the owner of award-winning blog, Tru Story (www.lesliemcgraw.com) and Life by Poetry (lifebypoetrytumblr.com).
You can purchase the 2nd edition of Emergencies of the Heart this August. Stay tuned for more details.
Praise for Emergencies of the Heart
"OH MY GOD, it is so good. I really am not much of a poetry person. I can’t understand it, it doesn’t speak to me. I always think, why don’t you just say what you mean instead of writing in code? But her poetry was so much better than that. It was filled with images and emotions and beautiful but not hard to understand. I thought it was just wonderful! Slim but powerful."
Wendy, Amazon Reader
About the Author
Leslie McGraw is a poet, social media activist, and former creative inspiration and emcee of the Bookbound Open Mic & Share Poetry Series (2013-2020) and Life By Poetry online community (www.lifebypoetry.tumblr.com). Her essay, “Roses Come in Black, Too” was published in the As/Us Women of the World Journal. Her debut poetry collection, Emergencies of the Heart, was published in 2014 and we are pleased to announce that a 2nd edition will be forthcoming August 2022 by Black Muse Publishing. Recently, Leslie was chosen as one of five poets across the nation for the 2022 Black Fire This Time Summer Fellowship by Willow Books in Detroit, Michigan (https://willowlit.net/black-fire-this-time-2021/). Follow her on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @LifebyPoetry.
This is a book about life, love, purpose, hope, and the valuation of time –all of which I have assessed differently since the events that occurred on 9-11. I am encouraged to move forward in love and stand tall in power with new hopes and expectations."
Leslie McGraw