Clint Bowman finds his way with 'If Lost'
Black Mountain poet marks release of first full-length book with nine-city tour
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
September 6, 2024
Black Mountain poet Clint Bowman releases his first full-length book, "If Lost," Sept. 6. Courtesy photo
Strolling along busy downtown streets or into the bucolic countryside around his small town, Clint Bowman’s observations frequently vacillate between the magnificent and seemingly mundane, offering glimpses into facets of Appalachian life that can be easily obscured in the shadows of sweeping mountain vistas.
It is a setting that can be both captivating and disorienting, but the Black Mountain poet navigates the relentless clash of humanity, natural wonder and urbanity in his first full-length book — “If Lost” — published, Friday, Sept. 6, through Asheville-based Loblolly Press. Bowman will accompany the release with a nine-city tour, beginning in Knoxville and ending in Charleston, W.V.
The High Point native, who founded Dark City Poets Society shortly after moving to Western N.C. in 2019, will host a meet and greet and signing at Sassafras, from 2 - 4 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 7, followed by a book release party and reading Oak & Grist Distillery, from 6 - 7:30 p.m. The tour will include stops in Asheville, Greensboro, Brevard, Sylva and Spartanburg.
“If Lost” comes 15 months after Bowman’s debut chapbook, “Pretty Sh!t,” which explores the contrasting beauty of the region and struggles of the people who inhabit it.
“The chapbook kind of came out of me working on ‘If Lost,’ but none of the poems are in both books,” said Bowman, a recreation coordinator for the Town of Black Mountain Recreation & Parks Department. “All of these poems have been in the works for four or five years.”
The poet, who established the Pullman Poet Society in High Point in 2016, began composing many of the pieces in both books when he moved from the Piedmont to his current home.
“When I moved here and started my life in a town I admire in a lot of ways, that really inspired me,” Bowman said. “Then, the Dark City Poets Society has played a big role in the development of my writing, so since moving to Black Mountain and becoming involved with that, I started taking my work more seriously and submitting more of it for publication.”
His latest release, which is available online at loblollypress.com and local bookstores including Sassafras and Malaprops, offers vividly realistic glimpses into the complexities of Appalachia.
“There are a lot of parallels between human and environmental struggle, and how everything and everyone is lost in some way,” Bowman said. “I think having an understanding that we’re all just trying to figure this out can lead to an awareness, and kind of comfort. I hope readers related to that in this book, in some way.”
Clint Bowman's "If Lost" book release tour will include stops in nine cities across three states, concluding at the W.V. Book Festival in Charleston. Courtesy photo
An unflinchingly honest delivery lays bare the complex culture woven into a landscape dotted with old convenient stores, Kudzu-choked oak trees and, sometimes, rabid animals. While the sound of traffic echoes around the mountains, Bowman invites readers to take a deeper look at scenes often easy to ignore.
From the tractor trailer driver whizzing by on I-40 to reflective moments on mountain trails, “If Lost” also examines the relationship between humans and their environment.
“A lot of poets are always trying to be aware of their surroundings, in positive and negative ways,” Bowman said. “Experiencing how diverse and amazing this mountain ecosystem is and seeing how we interact with it has probably influenced my writing the most. Doing trash pickups and river cleanups with my job has really allowed me to witness just how much pollution there is.”
The rich culture of Appalachia produces compelling characters in his work.
“It’s such an interesting culture that really deserves a lot more recognition, so just trying to immerse myself in it has had a big impact on my writing, for sure,” he said.
His release tour will allow Bowman to share his work with readers in four states.
“I’m excited to see and hear other people’s reactions to it, because I’ve read it so many times, I’m eager to others reading it for the first time,” he said. “I know I was deeply moved when I read it the first handful of times, so it will be fun to get it in the hands of readers and get their thoughts on it.”