Lang Leav facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lang Leav
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| Born | 8 September 1980 |
| Occupation | Poet, novelist, author |
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Notable work
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Lullabies |
| Spouse(s) | Michael Faudet |
Lang Leav, born on September 8, 1980, is a well-known Australian writer. She is famous for her poetry and novels.
Contents
Lang Leav's Early Life
Lang Leav was born in a refugee camp in Thailand. Her parents had to leave Cambodia because of a difficult time there called the Khmer Rouge regime. She is the youngest of three children. In 1981, her family moved to Australia. Lang grew up in Cabramatta, a suburb in Sydney.
Lang's interest in writing started when she was young. She would write her poems into handmade books. Then, she would share these books with her friends at school.
Lang Leav's Education
Lang Leav studied at the College of Fine Arts in Sydney. Her family and community were worried about her choice. They thought that a career in art might not be stable financially. However, Lang kept going with her studies.
For her college project, she wrote about a unique fashion style. This project helped her win a special award called the Churchill Fellowship Award.
Lang Leav's Career as a Writer
Even though Lang Leav is known for her writing, she first started a fashion brand called Akina. This brand was very popular and won her an award.
In 2012, Lang began sharing her poems on Tumblr, a social media platform. Many people started following her work. In 2013, she published her first book of poetry and stories called Love and Misadventure. This book became a surprise hit. It caught the attention of literary agents in New York.
Lang then signed with a New York agency and later got a publishing deal with Andrews McMeel. Her book became a bestseller on Amazon. The next year, she released Lullabies, which won the Goodreads Choice Award for Poetry. Many people say Lang Leav helped make poetry popular again.
More Books and Novels
Lang Leav has published several other poetry books. These include Memories (2015), The Universe of Us (2017), Sea of Strangers (2018), and Love Looks Pretty on You (2018). All of these books were nominated for the Goodreads Choice Award for Poetry and became international bestsellers.
Her first novel for young adults, Sad Girls, reached number one on the Straits Times Bestseller chart for fiction. This book received different opinions from critics. Some said it was very powerful, while others felt it needed more depth.
Lang's second young adult novel, Poemsia, was also a Straits Times Bestseller. Most reviews for Poemsia were positive. One magazine said Lang wrote very well from the main character's point of view. It also gave readers a look into the world of new-wave poetry.
Lang's college degree helped her illustrate many of her own books. These include Love & Misadventure, Lullabies, Memories, and The Universe of Us.
Guest Speaker and Audiobooks
Lang Leav has been a guest speaker at many international writers' festivals. She has spoken at events like The Sydney Writers Festival and the Auckland Writers Festival. She was also a main speaker at the Mass Poetry Festival in Boston, Massachusetts.
In 2019, Penguin Random House bought the rights to make audio versions of Lang's novel Poemsia. They also bought the audio rights for her poetry books like The Universe of Us, Sea of Strangers, and Love Looks Pretty on You.
The introduction for Lang Leav's poetry book September Love was written by actress Lili Reinhart.
Lang Leav's first literary fiction novel, Others Were Emeralds, was sold to Harper Perennial. International rights for the book were also secured by Penguin Random House, Australia. Others Were Emeralds is based on Lang's family history as immigrants. Critics have praised it, calling it a "heartrending novel" and saying her writing is "poetic and lyrical."
Lang Leav's Writing Style
The New York Times describes Lang Leav's poetry as honest poems about love, heartbreak, and relationships. She mainly writes in rhyme, verse, and prose poetry. Her writing often feels like she is sharing her personal thoughts and feelings.
Lang Leav looks up to famous poets like Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost. She admires Emily Dickinson's ability to show strong feelings in short poems. She also likes Robert Frost's use of everyday language. Themes like nature, love, death, and time, which are common in Frost's poems, often appear in Lang's own work.
Lang Leav has explained that her writing style comes from being a translator for her immigrant parents. She said that language had to be very clear because things can get lost when translating.
See also
- Instapoetry
