Leslie Tate appreciation

Leslie Tate

Leslie is a word-smith – he crafts with words, books and poetry. He’s one of those writers who, when it comes to proofreading his work, I have to keep a dictionary close at hand to look up meanings of unusual words. If I recall correctly there were at least five in Love’s Register, an epic historical novel covering issues of climate change, personal relationships and identity, change and continutity, acceptance and rejection. These themes, at least for me, are the essence of Leslie. He’s not shy to experiment with style – four different fonts, each depicting a different person’s views, added some extra flavour to Love’s Register, a book which brought three separate books into one.
Leslie’s writing evolves – like a snowball gathers snow as it rolls down a hill. At the core is the essence of Leslie, whom I first got to know when we published Heaven’s Rage, an autobiography of his early life as a cross-dresser. However, it’s more than a book about being a cross-dresser. As I’ve said on many an occasion, it’s a human account of survival and responses to the challenges life throws at us. Together with Mark Crane, Heaven’s Rage became visual in 2017, winning numerous awards.
Another joint venture was with partner Sue Hampton and friend Cy Henty to produce The Dream Speaks Back – self-insights into the creative process of three artists, in three distinct styles creating a coherent whole.
But it’s not all about Leslie, he’s an incredibly supportive person when it comes to promoting others – his weekly blog contains interviews with creative people of diverse backgrounds, all supporting a cause with the end goal of making the world we live in a little better. And he’s taken this further with a weekly slot on Radio Dacorum. In days gone by he used to have a slot at a Berkhamstead pub where musicians, artists and writers could showcase their work – providing a platform for bringing people together. As with everything, this was part of the journey.
I’ve learnt much from Leslie, as a person, writer and supporter of others: in short – be yourself and don’t be afraid to make a stand for what you believe in. And look forward to reading his new autobiography (published 2024 by Blackspring Press): Ways to be Equally Human.