A POET born and raised in Newport is to have his acclaimed first collection of poems reissued during Pride Month.
RJ Arkhipov, who grew up in the city's Christchurch area and shares a surname with his grandfather who claimed asylum in the UK following the Second World War, will have Visceral: The Poetry of Blood reissued by London-based publisher Zuleika in a new paperback edition, with illustrations by French artist Fabien Ghernati.
The new edition will be published in the heart of Pride Month on World Blood Donor Day, June 14, to coincide with - and commemorate - the lifting of the blood donor ban preventing many gay and bisexual men from donating blood.
READ MORE:
- Newport actor Stacey Daly writes lockdown inspired film
- Big demand forecast for shop units in revamped Newport Market
- Is there a forever home in Gwent for this lovely collie?
"I am thrilled to be publishing this new edition of RJ’s very unique book. His poetry and cause spoke to many readers last time around and I am sure it will do the same again in this edition," said Tom Perrin, founder and publisher of Zuleika Books.
Literally bleeding for his art, Arkhipov garnered international attention back in 2015 when he penned a series of poems using his own blood as ink, as a form of protest against the aforementioned blood donor ban.
Three years later, Zuleika published Arkhipov’s first collection as a hardback, coffee-table book, with photographs by French photographer Maud Maillard.
Described by the poet Gregory Woods - who was also the first Professor of Gay and Lesbian Studies ever appointed in the UK - as ‘a sanguineous coming-out’, Arkhipov’s maiden collection was long-listed for the Polari First Book Prize in 2019.
Visceral: The Poetry of Blood
That same year, he was invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to visit the Elysée Palace in Paris, to present a copy of the book to the presidential library.
In December last year, governments across the United Kingdom announced they would lift the current restrictions on gay and bisexual men later this year in favour of an individualised risk-based assessment.
The book will be available from most bookshops. Signed copies of the new paperback edition, with limited edition bookplates, can be bought from zuleika.london/product/visceral-paperback
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here