Poetry and public art in (not only) a time of pandemic

free poetry by Dudgrick Bevins
free poetry by Dudgrick Bevins

When I messaged fellow poet Dudgrick Bevins the other day, I told him I’ve been finding it difficult to move forward creatively during the coronavirus pandemic. I’ve been at home in lockdown mode for over a month and can count on one hand the number of times I’ve gone outside. You’d think that means I’m holed up, head down, writing poetry, and doing all the creative things I usually do. I’ve been doing a bit of that, yes. But, mostly, I’ve been at a standstill.

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Industrial Shadow

This shadow of infernal
machinery plastered against
brownish yellow brickwork
invokes the human silhouettes
burnt into sidewalks and walls
at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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On pride, protest, and finding home 🏳️‍🌈

A row of rainbow pride flags line a black iron fence along a brick sidewalk, with people walking under leafy green trees on a sunny day in an urban setting.
Photo by luke kurtis

This weekend we celebrate Pride here in New York. Sometimes it’s easy to forget how vital Pride is because I live just steps away from Stonewall, the epicenter of where the gay rights movement began. It’s not because I’m unaware of the persecution against LGBTQ+ folks—I’ve lived through my share of hardships because of my sexual identity. But amid the comings and goings of everyday life, it’s sometimes too easy to become comfortable.

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Dudgrick Bevins poetry and photography roundup!

Last year we published the debut full-length collection by Dudgrick Bevins, Route 4, Box 358 as a followup to his 2017 chapbook with luke kurtis, Georgia Dusk. He also released a chapbook titled My Feelings are Imaginary People Who Fight for My Attention (The Poet’s Haven) as well as a few other poems (and photos) in various literary journals. Check them out here!

Be sure to keep an eye out for more from Dudgrick in the future. We expect this is not the last you will hear from him.

Poetry as protest and expression of pride 🌈

During the 2016 US Presidential Elections, I began to write more and more poems in reaction to current events. Before long I realized I had enough poems to make up a chapbook-length collection, and that’s what I thought it would be. But as time went on, I continued to write. I ended up with a collection of 40 poems, which I call exam(i)nation.

People often say politics aren’t personal. But that’s actually not true. What goes on in the political sphere affects me very directly as a queer person, just as it does for women, people of color, immigrants, and all the other groups of people under attack by conservative politics. It can’t be anything but personal when our lives are at stake.

exam(i)nation is both a protest and expression of pride. I hope you will be curious to learn about my experiences.

A story-in-poems about growing up gay in rural Appalachia

We couldn’t be more excited about the publication of the debut full-length poetry collection by Dudgrick Bevins. Route 4, Box 358 is a powerful first collection by any standard. Though you got a taste of Dudgrick’s Georgia roots in the Georgia Dusk chapbook, Route 4 delves much deeper into the poet’s past. Here’s a preview of the original photography also included in the book! Be sure to pick up your copy.

Announcing Here Nor There by Sam Rosenthal

bd-studios.com is pleased to announce our latest book, Here Nor There by Sam Rosenthal. Here Nor There presents the artists’ recent body of work of the same name which explores the confluence of conceptual photography, Internet technology, and queer identity. The book will be available at a book launch event at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division on 21 September at 7 PM. Rosenthal will also present a talk about his work followed by a brief Q&A session. Copies of the book will be available at the event or you can order online.

Michael Tice Studio Visit

Michael Tice looks back on over four decades of art-making.

Video interview and editing: luke kurtis

About the Retrospective book:

Introduction by Philip Mullen
Design by luke kurtis
Published by bd-studios.com

bd Artists’ Books: Photography 📷, performance 🎹, painting 🎨, and beyond!

The bd Library is growing! Following our earlier releases by Michael Tice and Michael Harren, the most recent title in our line of Artists’ Books is Just One More by Jonathan David Smyth.

Below is an excerpt from a BBC Radio Ulster interview with Jonathan about Just One More.

Michael Bradley: It’s just a normal phone camera, isn’t it? Or do you use any special filters or equipment or anything?

Jonathan David Smyth: No, it’s just my smartphone. I use the camera within the phone itself. And it’s important that you’re asking if there are any filters because I think sometimes people may think I do use a filter. For me, coming out of this idea of using apps to make things look ”better” was actually an inspiration for me to take these photographs. I wanted to show that you don’t actually have to use filters in order to make a good photograph.

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Building a better future for Cambodian children

It’s high time I bring you an update about my work to support Cambodian Children’s Destiny. As you may recall, last year when my Angkor Wat project came out I launched a fundraiser to raise money for the NGO school. Between the online fundraiser and additional in-person donations, I was able to raise about $1,500. This was enough money to construct walls for two classrooms and still have some left over for other needed supplies!

I also donated several gently used laptops for use at the school. These machines were old and clunky by our standards… but a precious thing for these Cambodians. It took a lot of love (and muscle) to lug those all the way around the world. But airport security didn’t bat an eye. I was prepared for all sorts of, “Why are you traveling with so many laptops?” questions. Luckily, it was no problem!

To give you a better sense of everything I’m talking about, here are a few photos from my visit to the school this past October…

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