Lehman pens new poetry chapbook
The book's title poem grew out of a poetry class exercise where everyone contributed something they were afraid of, Lehman said. It is about the fear of coming to the end of one's life and not having people around you who care about you.
While some of the poetry in the chapbook is based on Lehman's own thoughts and experiences, she said the poems are not all about her. "Just as you can create a character in fiction, you can do that in poetry too." Several poems present an imaginative retelling of Biblical stories; Lehman's faith is one underlying theme of the book.
Lehman's poetry has been called "a poetry of place" and many of her poems are rooted in the landscape of Northeast Ohio. A poem called "Ohio Proud" brings rural Ohio to life with vivid images of frozen Amish laundry, wild carrot and the "strange sweet smell of manure," while local landmarks such as 55 West and the Millersburg Ice Company make cameo appearances throughout the book. Even the cover of Driving in the Fog has a local connection; the photo was taken by Lehman's brother-in-law Marv Troyer, owner of LifeScapes Photography in Kidron.
Driving in the Fog began as a class project for an Advanced Poetry class that Lehman audited at Wayne College. In addition to the topics assigned by her instructor, Dr. Jack Kristofco, she gave herself the additional assignment of exploring unique poetic forms such as the villanelle, sestina and pantoum, several of which found their way into the book.
Lehman's final course assignment was to submit a chapbook of poems along with a cover letter and envelope. A few months later, she received news that her manuscript had been accepted for publication by Finishing Line Press.
Driving in the Fog is Lehman's second book of poetry; her first, titled Morning Song, won the 2004 Wick Poetry Prize from Kent State University. She also authored Kairos: A Novel and Traces of Treasure, both published by Herald Press, and her poetry has appeared in a variety of periodicals.
A short book of poetry like Driving in the Fog is referred to as a chapbook, a term Lehman said comes from the term "cheap book" and originally referred to any small, inexpensive book. The term is now used mainly for books of poetry, usually under 30 pages. Lehman said she is currently working on a longer manuscript that will include some poems from Driving in the Fog along with others centered on a common theme.
Lehman is adjunct faculty at Malone University, where she teaches literature and writing courses. She earned a B.A. in Communication Arts from Malone and an MFA in Creative Writing from Ashland University.
Lehman will be reading several poems from Driving in the Fog at the Wayne College Poetry, Prose and Acoustical Jam Feb. 28. The chapbook will be released in April but is available for pre-order through the end of February at www.finishinglinepress.com; search by title to locate the book. Lehman is also taking orders directly and can be reached at jlehman@malone.edu.