Matthew Shepard

Matthew Shepard was a homosexual college student at the University of Wyoming. He was lured into a truck by McKinney and Henderson, two heterosexuals who pretended to be gay in order to kidnap him. The attack happened during the late hours of October 6 and the morning of October 7, 1998. Shepard died on October 12. He was only 21 years old.

The savage nature of Shepard’s beating, his abandonment after being tied to a buck-rail fence, and his resulting death is the focus of this book of poetry. Newman also explores the impact that Shepard’s death had on his community as well as the entire country. Shepard’s voice is used by Newman in three of the poems. These include “Lame Excuse,” “Scared to Death,” and “Then and Now.”

Aaron McKinney

Aaron McKinney is one of the two men who kidnapped Shepard from the Fireside Lounge. The men beat...