Gail Newman, Poet
“People can withstand the most horrific experiences and build meaningful and even joyful lives. We remember the Holocaust to honor the living and the dead. And we remember so that we will be vigilant and compassionate, so that we don’t stand idle when others, of any religion, culture or race, experience bigotry, hatred, or genocide.” – Gail Newman
Gail Newman, born in a Displaced Persons’ Camp in Lansberg, Germany, was raised in Los Angeles in a community of Holocaust survivors. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area where she works as a poet-teacher for California Poets in the Schools. A former arts administrator and museum educator at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, she was the co-publisher and editor of Room, a Women's Literary Journal. She also edited Inside Out, a book of poetry lessons for teachers as well as two collections of children's poems, C is for California and Dear Earth. A collection of her poetry, One World, was published by Moon Tide Press. Her latest book, Blood Memory, published in 2019 was chosen by Marge Piercy for the Marsh Hawk Press Poetry Prize.
Gail’s poems have appeared in journals and anthologies including Nimrod International Journal, Canary, Prairie Schooner, Calyx, Hiram Poetry Review, Spillway, Naugatuck Poetry Review, Ghosts of the Holocaust, Prism, The Doll Collection, and The Northern California Jewish Journal, and America, We Call Your Name.
Awards
Naugatuck River Review 9th Annual Poetry Contest
Bellingham Review’s 2019 Literary Contests
Two time semi-finalist for Nemrod Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry