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Richard Jeffrey Newman

Richard Jeffrey Newman

New York City
A poet and essayist, I write about gender and sexuality, Jewish identity and culture, writing and translation. My goal? To make connections that matter. I also help other writers do the same.
From Saadi’s Bustan: Takla Is Deterred From Abdication

From Saadi’s Bustan: Takla Is Deterred From Abdication

A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
On My Desk Now: Junot Díaz and the Double Bind of Male Survivorship

On My Desk Now: Junot Díaz and the Double Bind of Male Survivorship

I had hoped in writing my essay to be able to note this complexity and then set it aside, not because I think it’s not important, but because it seemed to me [that it] silenced Díaz as a survivor, short-circuiting the larger discussion about male survivors that his essay might have started.
From Saadi’s Bustan: Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz Sacrifices A Jewel To Help the Starving

From Saadi’s Bustan: Umar Ibn Abd al-Aziz Sacrifices A Jewel To Help the Starving

A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
Of Note: April 12, 2026

Of Note: April 12, 2026

Dear Friends, Here is the latest round of links to pieces dealing with the US-Israel war against Iran and related
The Power We Pretend Not To See - 5

The Power We Pretend Not To See - 5

It’s ironic, then, that the metaphor [Attar] constructed for bewilderment is itself “bewildered” in that it simultaneously reveals and denies both the sexual vulnerability of the male body and the trauma that is inherent in how the princess sexually coerces the slave.
From Saadi’s Bustan: Darius and His Herdsman

From Saadi’s Bustan: Darius and His Herdsman

A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
Four By Four Quarterly Roundup: January-March 2026

Four By Four Quarterly Roundup: January-March 2026

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Of Note: April 5, 2026

Of Note: April 5, 2026

Dear Friends, Here is the latest round of links to pieces dealing with the US-Israel war against Iran and related
On The Trail of a Tail - Part Three: Crossing The Border from Iran to Europe

On The Trail of a Tail - Part Three: Crossing The Border from Iran to Europe

[T]ranslation as the performance of centrality—in this case of a Christian centrality—that emerges from and serves to perpetuate real political power and that is therefore both demonstrably false and inherently harmful.
From Saadi’s Bustan

From Saadi’s Bustan

A Weekly Poem from 13th Century Iran
Of Note: March 29, 2026

Of Note: March 29, 2026

Dear Friends, Here is the latest round of links to pieces dealing with the US-Israel war against Iran and related
Four by Four #53

Four by Four #53

Four Things To Read, Four Things To See, Four Things To Listen To, and Four Things About Me