Holbrook has new book 'Upheaval' published
Morehead State University’s head of the newly formed BFA in Creative Writing Program and associate professor of English Chris Holbrook has released his second book of fiction, “Upheaval,” a collection of stories, to much praise in the Appalachian region.
Holbrook will read from his work at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Lexington on Thursday, Sept. 24 from 7-8 p.m. and will be reading at Coffeetree Books on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Holbrook grew up in Knott County, and as a native of Appalachia, his masterful command of detail reveals a personal familiarity with the people of this region, from the cadence of the language to the food on the tables.
His works reveal the thorny, contradictory, and at times funny complexities of Appalachian life. His stories tap into the fierce desperation and unsettling pain of characters that seem primed to explode at any second. In tense, measured dialect, he leads the reader into a world that is frightening and yet familiar. From his intimate portrayal of specific communities and individuals, Holbrook draws broader truths that drive these stories beyond the merely regional.
Through eight powerful storiesin “Upheaval,” Holbrook delves into the relationships between father and son, elderly and young, and the roles of family, faith, and the outside world. Throughout the book, he returns to the connection of person and place, highlighting the role Appalachia plays in the formation of a unique people. With uncanny accuracy, he depicts the creeping claustrophobia of a place where life is scraped from gravel mines and rough fields, where those who move away are looked on with confusion and even scorn.
The collection also gives insight into some of the biggest social and environmental issues that affect Kentuckians on a day-to-day basis, from coal mining to welfare laws.
Before joining MSU in 2003, Holbrook taught English at Alice Lloyd College. He earned an M.F.A. degree in fiction writing at the University of Iowa and has completed residency fellowships at the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Mass., and at Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He also is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.
Holbrook has won numerous awards for his writings, including MSU’s Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Award for Appalachian writing for “Hell and Ohio: Stories of Southern Appalachia,” and three Individual Artist Al Smith Fellowships for fiction writing from the Kentucky Arts Council.
Books may be obtained by visiting the University Press of Kentucky at www.kentuckypress.com.
Additional information is available by contacting Holbrook at (606) 783-2606 or e-mailing him at c.holbrook@moreheadstate.edu.
Posted: 9-21-09
