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Rising Stars: Meet Kevin Schumaker of DOUGLASVILLE

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Schumaker.

Hi Kevin, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on the outskirts of suburban America. My parents both came from immigrant factory worker families, and they prospered just enough to touch the lowest rung of the upper-middle class. Then, as the economy turned, I found myself living always a block or two from the truly successful—a short walk from the kids with brand-new cars on their sixteenth birthdays and senior trips to France. At the same time, my sister became the first in my family to attend college.

I, too, attended college, though I was a horrible student at first. Flunking out after my first year, I returned after a suspension to fall in with the study of philosophy, and eventually sought a Ph.D. But, as the last stage came into view, I decided to abandon my planned life as an intellectual and went to law school.

The choice of law school was, of course, a choice to make money. However, I hated all the fields where that was possible and chose to pursue a career as a public defender. I thrived in the regular battle of wits and the chance to craft argument after argument as fast and as incisively as possible. I became good in the courtroom.

Coming from a family susceptible to addiction, it was just a matter of statistics that either my sister or I would one day succumb. Why it was me and not her is probably a matter of disposition but that is for others to assess. I became an alcoholic and struggled to get sober for several years.

Eventually, through 12-Step programs and a return to the study of Taoism and Zen, I reclaimed my sanity but with a different perspective on life. I had always loved artists and writers of every kind. From jugglers to songwriters, magicians to playwrights, I loved them all. So, as I was facing my late fifties, I decided I had waited long enough. First, I began on my still unfinished novel, and then poetry. In 2025, at the age of 60, I published my first collection of poems, titled That’ll Leave a Mark.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
My battle with alcoholism is the most obvious struggle. And, I will confess, succumbing to addiction later in life can be especially harrowing. At that point, we have all become so good at “faking it.” Whether in our jobs, relationships, or just life in general, we have learned how to pass for sane and well-adjusted. I think that’s why older alcoholics and addicts have such a hard time. We know how to be functional, even when we are dying inside.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am, at least right now, a poet first and foremost. Yes, I pay my bills and spend my nine-to-five as a criminal defense attorney and Managing Attorney at an Atlanta law firm. And, I’m not shy about saying I am very good at it. But, in my heart, I am a poet.

I describe my poetry as coming from a beat poetry/existentialist perspective, with a punk rock attitude. It’s sort of like Kerouac and Jean Paul Sartre had a child who spent his formative years listening to the music of The Clash.

My poetry is dark, it doesn’t rhyme, and I am loose with rhythm. But, it isn’t ultimately sad. I like to think that what I’m trying to do is show the beauty that is always present, even in the painful and the ugly. I write about love and longing, loss and death, and the melancholia that is the background mood of suburban America.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
I think I was always what people would call a risk-taker, but I don’t think I saw myself that way. I guess I just had a strong iconoclastic nature. If I were told I had to do or be something, I basically reacted with, “No, I don’t. Watch this.” Also, I don’t think I was ever particularly afraid of failing. I laugh at that thought because maybe it was that I liked failing, because in the end, I’m a romantic. I love the hero who faces the danger, falls, and then rises again. I think failing and risks are just part of an interesting story.

Pricing:

  • Book, “That’ll Leave a Mark” available at all major retailors for $14.99.
  • eBook available for $9.99

Contact Info:

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