What To Do If Lost: On Poetry, Place, and Wayfinding with Clint Bowman

Welcome to Loblolly Press: In Conversation, our monthly podcast where we bring you engaging interviews with our writers as they delve into their creative process, share their inspirations, and explore the southern influences that shape their work.In this episode, I sit down with Clint Bowman, poet and co-founder of the Dark City Poets Society in Black Mountain, NC.We recorded this episode in Clint’s home, surrounded by overflowing bookshelves, Sharpies, sticky notes, and the comforting chaos of a working writer’s space. Our conversation meanders, as conversations between friends often do. We talk about dogs (Penny and Hugo are officially besties), about our partners (shout out to Garrison and B), and about what it means to write as a local, not just about a place.We dig into what it means to be acknowledged by your peers, to build a literary community from the ground up, and how Loblolly Press fits into that wider effort. Clint reflects on the path to publishing his first full-length collection, If Lost, what surprised him along the way, and what ultimately didn’t make it into the final manuscript. He shares generously about how poetry moved from the margins to the center of his life—and how he's working to make room for others to do the same.Clint Bowman📍 Instagram: @clint_bowmanClint Bowman is a native of Davidson County, North Carolina. His debut chapbook, Pretty Sh!t, was published in May 2023 by Bottlecap Press. He’s the co-founder and facilitator of the Dark City Poets Society (DCPS), a thriving poetry community in Black Mountain, NC, where he currently lives with his family. When he’s not writing or organizing readings, Clint works as a recreation coordinator, leading hikes, cleanups, and other outdoor adventures in Western North Carolina.📖 Purchase Pretty Sh!tIf LostBowman’s debut full-length collection, If Lost, is a raw, lyrical map of place and displacement. Inspired by the mountains, forests, and lives of the South, these poems explore a region where resilience and ruin often walk hand in hand. Think invasive species and abandoned churches, truckers in empty lots and deer beside the highway. If Lost is perfect for fans of Sharon Olds, Ada Limón, Ross Gay, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and bell hooks.📖 Purchase If LostUpcoming Events📅 April 11, 2025 – 7:00pm – The Dark City SpeaksBlack Mountain Center for the Arts, 225 West State Street, Black Mountain, NCAn evening of poetry featuring Glenis Redmond, Lee Stockdale, and Mildred Barya, plus students and poets from the Dark City Poets Society.📅 April 12, 2025 – 3:00pm – Loblolly Press Poetry ReadingCity Lights Bookstore, 3 E Jackson St, Sylva, NCReadings from Cheryl Whitehead, Clint Bowman, Andrew Mack, and Garrett Ashley. Free and open to the public.🎤 Hosted by: Andrew Mack📖 Guest: Clint Bowman🎧 Produced by: Loblolly Press🎶 Intro/Outro Music: Rooftop Sunsets by Alexey Anisimov via Tune TankBeasts of Chase - New Chapbook from Andrew MackDistant Relations - New Poetry from Cheryl Whitehead🎧 Listen wherever you get your podcasts—don’t forget to like, subscribe, download, and leave a review to help others discover the voices of Loblolly Press.📚 Follow us on Instagram: @loblolly_press📰 Subscribe to our newsletter on Substack for updates on new episodes, book releases, and more. Get full access to Loblolly Press on Substack at loblollypress.substack.com/subscribe