BEAT ROUTES, travel poems from near and there

79pp., illus., paperback, Cape Town, 2021

“Always restless and inquisitive, Justin Fox fashions his poems out of travel adventures of one kind or another, exploring a panorama of places, people and occasions. At the same time, he is always experimenting with how much he can bend language to his expressive will as he surfs along on waves of words, stopping to share moments, observe what is salient before moving on to the next port – and poem – of call. It makes for a thoroughly enjoyable mix.” Douglas Reid Skinner, co-editor of Stanzas

“We have been aware – the way we are conscious of an essential dimension of being human in this environment with these seas bordering this continent, as we would be of sentinels in the night scouting for daybreak and the dawning distances – of Justin Fox exploring and lighting up the life-trip we are embarked upon here in this forever Neverness. Even so, we are drawn in again and again, and are awed – beautifully so, searingly so, searchingly so, along lines of song – to where we know we belong. What a celebration to be invited to partake of the riches! ‘I am all of these and none of them. I am the land.’ How lucky we are to enter this volume of giving us back to ourselves in the poems of this fellow-being!” Breyten Breytenbach, novelist, essayist, poet, painter

Justin Fox is the author of twenty books, including The Marginal Safari, Whoever Fears the Sea, The Impossible Five and The Cape Raider. Former editor of Getaway magazine, he has won two Mondi Awards for journalism and the Patricia Schonstein Poetry in McGregor Award. He teaches part-time at University of Cape Town. Beat Routes is his debut poetry collection.