"Lesléa’s presentation, "He Continues to Make a Difference: The Story of Matthew Shepard," is not to be missed. If you wish to expose your students or your community to poetry of the finest quality, a message of depth and kindness, and an experience that will remain with them forever, book Lesléa Newman today."
"I am not sure I can adequately express the impact your presentations had on our entire student body at Northampton High School. Both students and faculty were powerfully affected by your poems, your story and your call to make a difference in the world. My expectation is that many of the staff will use your presentation to further classroom discussions about our responsibilities to each other, the history of bigotry and hatred and other topics emanating from your talk. Your presentations I hope will lead to a school-wide understanding of the impact we each have on others’ lives and will help us hasten the day when bullying and hatred end in our schools."
"I anticipated that Ms. Newman would appeal to some very specific student constituences: English majors, would-be creative writers, Jewish students, members of our feminist and LGBT groups. Certainly Ms. Newman’s visit profoundly energized and empowered these student populations. However, given that most every sentence she utters reveals Ms. Newman to be a wordsmith with a fine mind and a good heart, she also appealed to students (and colleagues) who don’t normally respond well to words such as "English," "literature," "feminism," "Jewish," or "lesbian." Indeed, Ms. Newman’s visit in general and her reading in particular became a real community-building event for the campus. In short, Ms. Newman’s wide-ranging gifts and her consummate professionalism make her an ideal campus visitor."
"Thank you very much for your recent presentation at Ithaca College. It contributed much to the Jewish cultural life of our campus. Your reading of various poems and stories including "A Letter to Harvey Milk" was deeply touching, seriously thought provoking, and at times very funny. As expected, your work attracted a diverse crowd of students, faculty and guests: ‘queer,’ ‘straight,’ Jewish, writers and many others. your representation of authentic voices, holocaust survivors, Jewish grandmothers and grandfathers, Jewish lesbians and the child of a lesbian mother proved meaningful to all. The success of the event, and the work leading up to it helped to cement a close collaboration with the campus LGBT center. it has also helped to demonstrate Hillel’s mission to be a welcoming environment to all students."
"I am writing to thank and commend you for your outstanding presentation on "Heather’s Mommy Speaks Out: Homophobia, Censorship and Family Values." Although it has been a week since your visit, I am still receiving daily phone calls and comments regarding your talk. ALL feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. One faculty member expressed that she wished she had required all of her students to attend. Your presentation was insightful, powerful, touching and informative. Also impressive was how you use humor, stories, readings and multimedia to create an engaging program that is accessible to everyone in the audience. Again, thank you for sharing your time and expertise."
"The program was extremely well-received. Ms. Newman read from her numerous works and then entertained questions candidly and with humor. She is a thoughtful writer with wonderful insight. She is inclusive in both her written and spoken word. Students, faculty and staff who were present are still bringing her name up as one of our best speakers this semester."
"Two weeks after the event, the verdict is unanimous: all concerned agreed that you brought to the campus not only considerable personal charm, but a new level of awareness of numerous gay-related issues. And the student and faculty turnout at each scheduled event, a full house on two different occasions, was beyond our expectations."
"As the keynote speech for our Lesbian Gay Bisexual Awareness Week 1994, we were hoping to feature a speaker who could raise awareness about homophobia among a broad, diverse group of people. Ms. Newman did exactly that—combining political insight, human experience, and irony into a powerful and humorous presentation. Ms. Newman has excellent poise as a speaker, and she adeptly handled some provocative questions from the audience."
"Ms. Newman recently visited our campus and spoke to a crowd of over 400 students. Her wit, charm and strong presence was captivating, and the information provided was timely and relevant to the struggles of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexuals on campus. I was thoroughly impressed with Ms. Newman as she openly and honestly addressed the crowd, riveting them to their seats with her words."