Lang Leav

Lang Leav (born September 8, 1980) is a bestselling contemporary poet and writer based in New Zealand.[1][2][3] She is the author of Lullabies which won Goodreads Best Poetry (2014).[4]

Lang Leav
OccupationPoet, novelist, author
Notable work
Lullabies
Spouse(s)Michael Faudet

Early life

Leav was born at a refugee camp in Thailand. Her family fled from the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.[5] She has three siblings and was the second youngest. In 1981, her family migrated to Australia.[1] Her mother worked as a seamstress whilst her father was an acupuncturist.[6] Leav was raised at a refugee town in Cabramatta, Sydney.[7][8][9]

Leav's interest in literature started at a young age. She would write poetry and turn the anthology into handmade books, which she would pass around to peers in school.[10]

Education

Leav attended the College of Fine Arts in Sydney. The refugee community she belonged to was critical of her decision; she was constantly questioned as the field was perceived as financially unstable and therefore impractical. Nevertheless, Leav persisted.[6] Her undergraduate thesis in college, titled "Cosplaying Lolita" granted her a Churchill Fellowship Award.[9]

Career

While Leav is known for being a writer, she initially established oriental and gothic inspired fashion line Akina which earned her a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award.[7][9][6] In 2013, Leav decided to start writing again. She self-published poetry and prose collection Love and Misadventures.[11] The book dealt with stages and facets of romantic love — from pleasant to unpleasant parts. The book was unexpectedly a hit and it caught the attention of literary agents in New York. She got a publishing deal from Andrew Mcmeel.[12][11][7] The bestselling book ranked top on Amazon.[3] Leav released Lullabies the following year which won Goodreads Best Poetry.[4]

Leav's college degree equipped her with the knowledge in arts allowing her to add illustrations on her books.[8] She was nominated several times for Goodreads Choice Awards.

Leav is presently working on September Love. The foreword will be written by Lili Reinhart, who admits to be a fan of Leav.[13][14]

Style and inspiration

Leav's poetry style is described to be simple and succinct, she conveys complex emotions in stark comparison to the verbal richness of traditional poetry. She writes in conversational language with mild use of figures of speech and is arranged in traditional stanza form. Her poetry's accessibility allowed her to garner a diverse mass following.[11][8][15]

Leav considers Emily Dickinson as her inspiration. She admires Dickinson's raging passion and emotions which is simply yet effectively conveyed.[11]

Criticism

Leav received negative feedback, particularly from the academic community, about the simplicity of her style; it was described as generic. Some also commented on her melodramatic penchant on emotions.[15][16][17][3] Sarge Lacuesta criticized Leav's poetry, questioning her preference on substance over style.[16]

Bibliography

Poetry and prose collection
  • Love and Misadventures (2013)
  • Lullabies (2014)
  • Memories (2015)
  • The Universe of Us (2016)
  • Sea of Strangers (2018)
  • Love looks pretty on you (2019)
  • September Love (2020)

Poetry
  • Anthology of Love (2017)

Novels
  • Sad Girls (2017)
  • Poemsia (2019)

See also

References
  1. Novio, Eunice Barbara C. (28 February 2019). "The paradox of Lang Leav". Asia Times. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. Yacob, Yostina (1 October 2015). "10 Modern-day Poets Who Will Mend and Break Your Heart With Their Poetry All at Once". Identity Magazine. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  3. Qureshi, Huma (23 November 2015). "How do I love thee? Let me Instagram it". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media Limited. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. "Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Poetry!". Goodreads. Goodreads, Inc. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  5. Brara, Noor (21 March 2018). "9 Poets to Know for World Poetry Day". Vogue. Condé Nast. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  6. Capital, Network (10 July 2018). "Lang Leav and Her Universe of Words". Network Capital. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. Ravindranathan, Shreeja. "Lang Leav: the most famous poet you've never heard of". Friday Magazine. GN Publishing. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  8. Shah, Manali (24 November 2016). "EXCLUSIVE: Poet Lang Leav talks about being an unlikely social media celebrity". Hindustan Times. HT Media Limited. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  9. "Bewitched". The Blackmail Magazine. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  10. Sheila, Rathika (12 December 2014). 7 "Love and misadventures with Lang Leav" Check |url= value (help). Poskod Malaysia. PopDigital Sdn Bhd. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  11. "Love and Misadventure: Q&A with Lang Leav". ClickTheCity. 10 February 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  12. Lee, Erika (14 October 2015). "Lang Leav's book of poems sensitively conveys feelings of love and loss". Daily Trojan. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  13. Jacobs, Mark (17 March 2020). "Lili Reinhart of 'Riverdale' Opens Up About Anxiety and Her 'Swimming Lessons' Poetry Book". www.lofficielusa.com. Jalou Media Group. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  14. De Leon, Pauline (8 September 2020). "Lang Leav's Upcoming 'September Love' Poetry Book Includes a Foreword by Lili Reinhart". HYPEBAE. Hypebeast Limited. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  15. "Poetry as Craft vs The Primacy of Feelings: Why Lang Leav Is Shunned by the Poetic Establishment". InqPOP!. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  16. Castro, Glenda Marie. "They're fighting over Lang Leav's 'instapoetry,' and I think that's good". Rappler. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  17. "The Real Reason Lang Leav's Poetry is So Toxic". RICE. Rice Media. 8 June 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
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