Lang Leav

{{Infobox person

| name = Lang Leav

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|9|8|df=yes}}

| occupation = Poet, novelist, author

| notable_works = Lullabies

| spouse = Michael Faudet

| image = Langleav.jpg

}}

Lang Leav (born September 8, 1980) is an Australian novelist and poet.{{cite news |last1=Novio |first1=Eunice Barbara C. |title=The paradox of Lang Leav |url=https://asiatimes.com/2019/02/the-paradox-of-lang-leav/ |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=Asia Times |date=28 February 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Yacob |first1=Yostina |title=10 Modern-day Poets Who Will Mend and Break Your Heart With Their Poetry All at Once |url=https://identity-mag.com/10-modern-day-poets-who-will-mend-and-break-your-heart-with-their-poetry-all-at-once/# |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=Identity Magazine |date=1 October 2015}}{{cite news |last1=Qureshi |first1=Huma |title=How do I love thee? Let me Instagram it |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/23/instapoets-instagram-twitter-poetry-lang-leav-rupi-kaur-tyler-knott-gregson?CMP=fb_gu |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=The Guardian |publisher=Guardian News & Media Limited |date=23 November 2015}}

Early life

Leav was born at a refugee camp in Thailand where her parents were seeking refuge from the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.{{cite news |last1=Brara |first1=Noor |title=9 Poets to Know for World Poetry Day |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/world-poetry-day-2018 |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=Vogue |publisher=Condé Nast |date=21 March 2018}}

She is the youngest of three siblings. In 1981, her family migrated to Australia. Leav was raised in the suburb of Cabramatta, Sydney.{{cite news |last1=Ravindranathan |first1=Shreeja |title=Lang Leav: the most famous poet you've never heard of |url=https://fridaymagazine.ae/life-culture/people-profiles/lang-leav-the-most-famous-poet-you-ve-never-heard-of-1.2123631 |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=Friday Magazine |publisher=GN Publishing}}{{cite news |last1=Shah |first1=Manali |title=Exclusive: Poet Lang Leav talks about being an unlikely social media celebrity |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/more-lifestyle/exclusive-poet-lang-leav-talks-about-her-new-book-and-being-an-unlikely-social-media-celebrity/story-yHOJx4lxDIlwoBonJ1cclJ.html |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=Hindustan Times |publisher=HT Media Limited |date=24 November 2016}}{{cite news |title=Bewitched |url=https://www.theblackmail.com.au/issue/2010/03/bewitched/ |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=The Blackmail Magazine}}

Leav's interest in literature started at a young age. She would transcribe her poetry into books she made by hand, which she then passed around to her peers at school.{{cite news |last1=Sheila |first1=Rathika |title=Love and misadventures with Lang Leav |url=https://poskod.my/features/love-misadventures-lang-leav/#:~:text=Lang%27s%20career%20as%20a%20writer,passed%20them%20around%20her%20schoolyard.&text=Lang%20now%20finds%20herself%20in,cult%20following%20across%20social%20media |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=Poskod Malaysia |publisher=PopDigital Sdn Bhd |date=12 December 2014}}

Education

Leav attended the College of Fine Arts in Sydney. The refugee community she belonged to was critical of her decision as the field was perceived as financially unstable and therefore impractical. Nevertheless, Leav persisted.{{cite news |last1=Capital |first1=Network |date=10 July 2018 |title=Lang Leav and Her Universe of Words |work=Network Capital |url=https://networkcapital.co/2018/07/10/lang-leav-and-her-universe-of-words/ |accessdate=29 October 2020}} Her undergraduate thesis in college, titled "Cosplaying Lolita" granted her a Churchill Fellowship Award.

Career

While Leav is known for being a writer, she initially established a cult fashion label Akina which earned her a Qantas Spirit of Youth Award. In 2012, Leav began posting her poetry on Tumblr and her work amassed a large following. In 2013, she self-published her first collection of poetry and prose titled Love and Misadventure.{{cite news |title=Love and Misadventure: Q&A with Lang Leav |url=https://www.clickthecity.com/uncategorized/article/30935/love-and-misadventure-qa-with-lang-leav/amp/ |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=ClickTheCity |date=10 February 2014}} The book was a surprise hit and caught the attention of literary agents in New York. Leav signed with New York Agency, Writers House before she was offered a publishing deal with Andrews McMeel.{{cite news |last1=Lee |first1=Erika |title=Lang Leav's book of poems sensitively conveys feelings of love and loss |url=https://dailytrojan.com/2015/10/13/lang-leavs-book-of-poems-sensitively-conveys-feelings-of-love-and-loss/ |accessdate=29 October 2020 |work=Daily Trojan |date=14 October 2015}} The bestselling book ranked top on Amazon. Leav released Lullabies the following year which won the Goodreads Choice Award for Poetry.{{cite web |title=Announcing the Goodreads Choice Winner in Best Poetry! |url=https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/best-poetry-books-2014 |website=Goodreads |publisher=Goodreads, Inc. |accessdate=29 October 2020}} Newsweek credits Leav for popularizing poetry.{{cite web |last1=Schilling |first1=Mary Kaye |title=The 50 Coolest Hot Weather Reads: 2018's Best Fiction and Non-Fiction (So Far) |url=https://www.newsweek.com/2018/06/01/fiction-non-fiction-best-books-summer-reading-940892.html |website=www.newsweek.com |access-date=15 March 2021}}

Leav subsequently published another five poetry titles: Memories (2015) The Universe of Us, (2017) Sea of Strangers (2018) and Love Looks Pretty on You (2018), all of which were nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Poetry have been international bestsellers. Her debut YA novel Sad Girls reached #1 on the Straits Times Bestseller chart for fiction and drew mixed reviews. Bustle wrote, "Sad Girls will have you reaching for the tissues; this YA debut is incredibly powerful."{{cite web |last1=Oulton |first1=Emma |title=15 Spring Releases About New Beginnings |url=https://www.bustle.com/p/15-spring-releases-about-new-beginnings-to-kick-start-the-new-season-53268 |website=www.bustle.com |access-date=15 March 2021}} The New Straits Times and The Star (Malaysia) criticized the novel for its lack of depth and character development.{{cite news |last1=Koshy |first1=Elena |title=Poet Lang Leav's debut Sad Girls is anything but a cheerful offering {{!}} New Straits Times |url=https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/pulse/2018/03/340918/poet-lang-leavs-debut-sad-girls-anything-cheerful-offering |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=NST Online |date=3 March 2018}}{{cite news |title=Review: Sad Girls {{!}} The Star |url=https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/books/2017/07/14/book-review-sad-girls |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=www.thestar.com.my}}

Leav's second YA novel, Poemsia, was also a Straits Times Bestseller{{cite web |title=Bestsellers |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/bestsellers-48 |website=www.straitstimes.com |access-date=29 March 2021}}

and drew mainly positive reviews, with Marie Claire stating: 'Leav writes masterfully from the perspective of her protagonist, an aspiring poet, and gives readers a backstage glimpse into the new-wave poetry movement.'{{cite web |last1=Galea |first1=Maeve |title=Holiday Book Club |url=https://www.marieclaire.com.au/holiday-book-club?fbclid=IwAR1veul5TieL9ygs_VtXCDQwLM1A6YLC8ds6iSCkoUhurCdEzpY8VZ7uLd4 |website=www.marieclaire.com.au |access-date=15 March 2021}}

Readings stated, "The writing is not as lyrical as one would have hoped from a poet, but the characters are well defined."{{cite web |last1=Crocombe |first1=Angela |title=Poemsia by Lang Leav |url=https://www.readings.com.au/review/poemsia-by-lang-leav# |website=www.readings.com.au |access-date=15 March 2021}}

Leav's college degree equipped her with the technical skills to illustrate several of her books, including Love & Misadventure, Lullabies, Memories and The Universe of Us.

Leav has been a guest speaker at a number of international writers festival, including The Sydney Writers Festival, The Sharjah Book Fair,{{cite web |last1=Ravindranathan |first1=Shreeja |title=Lang Leav draws huge crowds to Dubai Bookstores |url=https://fridaymagazine.ae/life-culture/people-profiles/lang-leav-draws-huge-crowds-to-dubai-bookstores-1.2119056 |website=Friday Magazine |access-date=15 March 2021}} Auckland Writers Festival{{cite web |title=AWF 2018 Programme: Open Book |url=https://www.writersfestival.co.nz/AWF_2018_Programme_v1/files/basic-html/page80.html |publisher=Auckland Writers Festival |access-date=13 February 2024}} and was a headliner at the Mass Poetry Festival in Boston, Massachusetts.{{Cite web |date=2021-03-20 |title=Meet Our 2021 Headliners |url=https://festival.masspoetry.org/2021-headliners/ |access-date=2023-08-12 |website=Massachusetts Poetry Festival}}

In 2019, Penguin Random House secured the audio rights to Leav's novel Poemsia in addition to her poetry titles, including The Universe of Us, Sea of Strangers and Love Looks Pretty on You.{{cite web |title=Penguin Random House |url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2211647/lang-leav/ |website=www.penguinrandomhouse.com |access-date=15 March 2021}}

The foreword for Leav's poetry book September Love is written by Lili Reinhart.

Leav's debut in literary fiction, Others Were Emeralds, was sold to Harper Perennial in a pre-empt, and international rights were secured at auction by Penguin Random House, Australia. Others Were Emeralds, based on Leav's immigrant roots, has been praised by critics, with Publishers Weekly{{Cite web |date=13 July 2023 |title=Review: Others Were Emeralds |url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780063304024 |access-date=12 August 2023 |website=Publishers Weekly}} describing it as "A heartrending novel." Booklist wrote, "Leav's coming-of-age debut is poetic and lyrical, her prose rich in beautiful imagery."{{Cite web |date=12 August 2023 |title=Others Were Emeralds |url=https://www.harpercollins.com/products/others-were-emeralds-lang-leav?variant=40992978370594 |access-date=12 August 2023 |website=Harper Collins}}

Literary critic Sonia Nair from Books & Publishing{{Cite web |last=Nair |first=Sonia |date=25 July 2023 |title=Review: Others Were Emeralds |url=https://www.booksandpublishing.com.au/articles/2023/07/25/233297/others-were-emeralds-lang-leav-viking/ |access-date=12 August 2023 |website=Books & Publishing}} wrote: "Others Were Emeralds is rich with lush descriptions and an unmistakable sense of place...there's a beautiful specificity in Leav's evocation of life as a second-generation Cambodian-Australian."

=Style and inspiration=

Leav's poetry work is described by the New York Times as frank poems about love, sex, heartache and betrayal.

{{cite web |last1=Alter |first1=Alexandra |title=Web Poets' Society: New Breed Succeeds in Taking Verse Viral |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/business/media/web-poets-society-new-breed-succeeds-in-taking-verse-viral.html |website=www.nytimes.com |access-date=15 March 2021}}

She writes mainly in rhyme, verse and prose poetry. The tone of her work is confessional.

Leav considers Emily Dickinson as an inspiration. She admires Dickinson's ability to convey intense emotion in short and compact poems. She also cites Robert Frost as an influence,{{cite web |last1=Hoare |first1=Rose |title=The poetic licence of Lang Leav: Behind the business of Instagram poetry |url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/102940852/the-poetic-licence-of-lang-leav-behind-the-business-of-instagram-poetry |website=www.stuff.co.nz |access-date=15 March 2021}}

for his use of colloquial language. The re-occurring themes of nature, love, death and time in Frost's poems often appear in Leav's own work.

Maryanne Moll, an award-winning Filipino fictionist and a literary criticism student, said Lang's poems are her way of exercising the trauma she inherited from her mother. In an interview with Marc Fennel from SBS, Leav explains how her style of writing stems from being a natural translator for her immigrant parents. "Language had to be distilled as things can get lost in translation."{{cite web |last1=Fennel |first1=Marc |title=Fans camp out overnight for her poems: Lang Leav |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6wqT1w6Wr0 |website=www.youtube.com |access-date=15 March 2021}}

Criticism

Leav is occasionally attributed to the Instapoetry movement,{{Cite web |last=Qureshi |first=Huma |date=23 November 2015 |title=How do I love thee? Let me Instagram it |website=TheGuardian.com |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/nov/23/instapoets-instagram-twitter-poetry-lang-leav-rupi-kaur-tyler-knott-gregson |access-date=12 August 2023}} which has been panned by the literary establishment as being derivative.{{Cite web |last=Leszkiewicz |first=Anna |date=6 March 2019 |title=Why are we so worried about "Instapoetry"? |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2019/03/instapoetry-rupi-kaur-genre-rm-drake-rh-sin-atticus-hollie-mcnish |access-date=12 August 2023 |website=New Statesman}}

Whether Leav's work falls into this genre has been a subject of contention. Journalist Laura Grainger from Hot Press wrote, "But if you compare Lang's work to many of her contemporaries, you'll notice she writes somewhat less like them and more in line with the work of classical poets."{{Cite web |last=Grainger |first=Laura |date=9 November 2018 |title=Lang Leav and the Rise of Digital Poetry |url=https://www.hotpress.com/culture/lang-leav-rise-digital-poetry-22761848 |access-date=12 August 2023 |website=Hot Press}}