FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Oct 2018
ANNOUNCING DEBUT POETRY COLLECTION BY DUDGRICK BEVINS
A STORY-IN-POEMS ABOUT GROWING UP GAY IN RURAL APPALACHIA
bd-studios.com is proud to announce the newest addition to our line of poetry books, Route 4, Box 358 by Dudgrick Bevins. The book will be released on 26 October in paperback and eBook editions.
In this debut full-length collection of poetry by Dudgrick Bevins, the poet’s memories of his youth become your own. Bevins has crafted not only a tale of personal history but a kind of archetypal roadmap through rural Appalachia where he mines the terrain of his past for remnants of beauty forged among the smothering haze of misty mountaintops. Family, religion, and sexuality intertwine like vines of kudzu strangling old growth trees.
Such images may seem like poetic fantasy, but, in fact, they reflect reality—both the surface beauty and the darker underbelly—of rural Appalachia where Bevins was born and raised.
Bevins grew up in a small town called Ellijay about seventy miles from Atlanta, Georgia. ”It was a beautiful pastoral painting that I called home,” he recalls, ”and at times I loved it.” He fondly remembers carefree days of camping trips, peaceful walks in the woods, and the delicious taste of fresh apple cider. As an adult living and working in New York City, Bevins uses his poetry to return to his roots, revisiting the landscapes of his youth and all the memories they evoke.
”When I first read the manuscript, I knew this was the perfect proper collection to introduce Dudgrick’s poetry to the world,” says publisher luke kurtis. ”I relate to his work because I also grew up in rural Georgia. Dudgrick and I have a lot in common because of that. But his story is also unique and completely his own.”
Before Route 4, Bevins and kurtis collaborated on a small chapbook, Georgia Dusk. The three poems in that book are a sort of dialogue between the poets—who never knew each other growing up in Georgia and only met in more recent years in their adopted home of New York City. Route 4, though, is a more formal ”coming out” for Bevins, a testament to the strength of being queer, southern, and strong.
”Ah, he ain’t queer, he’s just artsy,” Bevins imagines adults around him lamenting when he was young. Though it may be an invented statement, the sentiment is spot-on. But any detractors only had part of it right. And though one quality does not guarantee the other, the truth is: he’s queer and he’s artsy. Together that makes for a truly compelling collection of poetry.
Route 4, Box 358 features 50 poems as well as original photos by the author. It will be available to order in paperback from all major book retailers. An eBook version will be available on Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks, and Google Play.
Dudgrick Bevins is an interdisciplinary artist from the North Georgia mountains. He studied English Education, American Studies, and Gender Studies before taking the underground queer railroad north to New York City. He lives with his partner, a fellow artist and writer, and their very grumpy hedgehog, Ezri. He teaches a variety of high school seminar courses and creative writing.
bd-studios.com is the art and publishing studio by luke kurtis. Route 4, Box 358 is the newest publication in our ongoing line of poetry books, following luke kurtis’s the immeasurable fold from earlier this year. Other Georgia-related publications include Jordan’s Journey by Jordan M. Scoggins and INTERSECTION by luke kurtis. Our line of artists’ books includes The Animal Book.by Michael Harren, Here Nor There by Sam Rosenthal, and Just One More by Jonathan David Smyth.
Route 4, Box 358 by Dudgrick Bevins
ISBN 978-0-9992078-6-4
Paperback, 136 pages, 8.5 x 5.5 inches (eBook also available)
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