Lesley Wheeler Featured in Best American Poetry 2025 and Publishes Book Chapter The English professor’s poem “Sex Talk” and essay “Talkin’ New York” were highlighted in larger collections.

By Lily Caldwell
September 24, 2025

Lesley Wheeler, Henry S. Fox Professor of English at Washington and Lee University, was recently featured in Best American Poetry 2025, edited by David Lehman and Terence Winch and published by Scribner earlier this month. The series has won widespread acclaim as the nation’s most influential poetry anthology.

Wheeler’s poem “Sex Talk” was featured in the book and discusses an awkward conversation between Wheeler and her mother as they drove home from Paramus Park Mall in New Jersey. The poem emerges from the grief over her mother’s passing and all the questions that she can no longer ask her. Wheeler explores ideas of shame about intimacy and how these feelings can be passed down through generations. “Sex Talk” is also contained in Wheeler’s recent poetry collection, “Mycocosmic,” which was released in March.

Additionally, Wheeler recently published an essay titled “Talkin’ New York,” which was featured in the book “The Poetry of Bob Dylan,” published by Bloomsbury on Sept. 18. The book, edited by Mike Chasar from Willamette University, examines the lyricism of Dylan and how his lyrics are shaped by vocalization and performance earning him a central place in American poetry history. The book includes 30 essays on 30 songs, beginning with Wheeler’s analysis of the 1962 song “Talkin’ New York.” In the essay, Wheeler discusses the talking blues genre and the comedic aspects of the song.

Wheeler has been a member of the W&L faculty since 1994, teaching poetry from the 19th through the 21st centuries and creative writing. She earned a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. from Princeton University. Wheeler also serves as poetry editor of Shenandoah.

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