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Publication Date: June 20, 2023
Publisher: Atmosphere Press
Genre: Poetry, LGBTQ
ISBN: 978-1-63988-892-4
List Price: $16.99 USD Trade Paperback
Page Count: 158
In this eloquent collection, Hupp movingly portrays his journey of personal growth as a gay man while delving into societal and political issues of the time. Told in free verse, the poems span over a period of twenty-four years, portraying the author’s journey from just before he started high school in 1996 to the year of 2023. The poems cover various issues: his struggle to accept himself as a gay man and come out of the closet in a time when same-sex marriage was yet to gain legal recognition in the United States, and anti-LGBTQ violence was an ever-present threat in his small southern town; gnawing memories of his struggles with drug addiction, recovery, relapsing, and recovery again; his anguish over his sexuality as a Christian man; his experience of falling in love, and the griefs that it brings in its wake (“Great Big World,” “Under Wraps”); a tender note for his sweet cat, Sage, and her grieving process after she lost her litter to fatally under-developed lungs (“Four lights/ switched off in three nights/ Went out too soon/ Never got to be bright.”). Though overall the poems are less about discriminatory societal norms than the author’s own angst and issues, a picture of a man who tries his best to transform his adversities into a positive life experience emerges, offering moments of thought-provoking reflections and insights: “Fire by its nature is not some ancient evil/ The monster that makes us fear it/ is not its rightful owner/ The monster’s greatest weakness/ is that its source of strength/ is still just stolen property/ which will one day be reclaimed.” A gorgeous work that beautifully explores individual angst and timely socio-political issues.
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