Linda Laderman

Linda Laderman is a 73-year-old Detroit poet. Her poetry has appeared in The Willawaw Journal, The Jewish Literary Journal, The Jewish Writing Project, The Hole in the Head Review, One Art, and the gorgeous pages of The Write Launch, among others. She's studied with the Sarah Lawrence Writing Institute and workshops regularly with the Poetry Craft Collective, a cohort of poets who critique and encourage each other's writing. For many years, she was a volunteer docent at the Holocaust Center near Detroit, where she led adult discussion tours. Find her at lindaladerman.com.

“Going to a Wedding,” “A Last Look,” and “At the Holocaust Museum”

We climb the steps of the synagogue when Annie asks, What is Jewish?
She is the child of a Jew, a son I raised to tell a story
with the fanfare of a performer on The Moth Radio Hour.

“Earthquake,” “Reflection” and “What Remains”

Flying home from Seattle,
A man behind me mentions
The 2011 Christchurch earthquake.
I turn to see if it is you. A crazy thought.
Why would you be here?
Fifteen years since I heard your voice.
Still, I recall its timbre.
When you talked it sounded as if
You had a mouthful of stones.
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