Letters from the Edge - by Margaret Randall (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

By excerpting from letters she exchanged with five irreverent writers and artists, Margaret Randall constructs conversations that open windows on four pivotal moments in her life and on world events. This correspondence touches on important themes, such as social change, identity, art, and creative integrity--issues that were relevant then and remain so today. The letters are sometimes philosophical, sometimes intimate, and deal with family life as well as major creative projects, including literary political publishing, often taken on against daunting odds. Society continuously tries to subsume or shape influential rebel minds to its interests. Every generation has those who will not allow themselves to be silenced or controlled. This book is exciting evidence of this.

Chapters:
I. Walter Lowenfels: A Poet Who Laughed at Time
II. Laurette Séjourné A Woman with Pick and Shovel and
Arnaldo Orfila: A Man Who Filled a Century
III. Susan Sherman: A Woman Before Her Time
IV. Greg Smith: A Painter Who Listens to Silence

Review Quotes

"In Letters from the Edge, strands of Margaret Randall's epic correspondence are beautifully rebraided. Composite portraits of stalwart friends are allowed to emerge piece by piece alongside incredibly moving commentary. We are shown through nearly every period of Randall's embattled and heroic life. I think of her autobiographical work as one unbreakable, revolutionary codex, a glimmering touchstone I am always anxious to return to."--Cedar Sigo, poet and author of Siren of Atlantis, among other books

"In this homage to bold creative outriders who enhanced her life, Margaret Randall has gifted us with a profound and empowering book. The words and vision of Margaret and her five correspondents (Walter Lowenfels, Laurette Séjourné and Arnaldo Orfila, Susan Sherman, and Greg Smith) illuminate the many options available to fight fascism and continue the struggle for democracy, liberty, and human rights. Letters from the Edge is a compelling life-enhancing book for this moment."--Blanche Wiesen Cook, Distinguished Professor Emerita, John Jay College and the CUNY Graduate Center

"Margaret Randall is a genius in weaving together the cultural, political and personal in her poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and memoir. She accomplishes this in spades with her new work, Letters from the Edge. Perhaps the most prolific writer poet of our time, she never repeats herself, each work original and rings of truth and cautious optimism. Seemingly with her ear to the ground, she evokes the present, past, and future."--Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Professor Emeritus of Ethnic Studies at California State University

About the Author

Margaret Randall is a poet, writer, translator, photographer, and activist who has lived in New York, Mexico City, Havana, Cuba, Managua, Nicaragua, and Albuquerque, New Mexico, with short stays in North Vietnam and Lima, Peru. Her time in these places often coincided with major sociopolitical upheavals or pivotal historic moments. She edited an important bilingual literary magazine for eight years out of Mexico City and has known some of the great minds of her generation. When she returned to the United States, the US government ordered her deported because of opinions expressed in some of her books, and she was forced to wage a five-year battle for restoration of citizenship. Her correspondence with those she met along the way makes for exciting reading.

Randall is the recipient of numerous international awards and the author of over 200 books, four of which were published by New Village Press: My Life in 100 Objects, Artists in My Life, Risking a Somersault in the Air, and Luck.