“Some Vegetable Sacrifice” a new book by Collin College English Professor R. Scott Yarbrough, combines art and poetry into a unique offering that explores the writer’s past.
The title of the book follows a theme of sacrifice and loss that can be seen throughout the book.
“There’s a lot of loss in the book, the loss of family members and loved ones going through hardships,” Yarbrough said. “As a writer, I learned that you quit caring what people think and you just write what is true. I think that the sacrifice you make as a writer is putting your heart out there for the world to see and there will be people who can relate and hopefully be provided comfort through what I’ve written.”
When his publisher contacted him about new material for a new book, he had also suggested that Yarbrough include his paintings.
“As I gathered my writings from over the years and wrote new poems for the book, I would figure out a painting for each poem,” Yarbrough said. “And I guess what made them unique was my use of nail polish.”
Yarbrough enjoys painting in his free time and one day stumbled upon this new unusual medium.
“I was out of watercolors one day and my wife had a bunch of nail polish, so I picked out a few primary colors and then started messing with them, and I thought ‘holy cow this works!’” Yarbrough said.
Yarbrough really liked the texture that the nail polish provided his paintings, giving them a Van Gogh-inspired look. Most of the paintings in the book are nail polish or a mixture of nail polish and watercolors.
“Some Vegetable Sacrifice” is published by Lamar University’s Literary Press and can be ordered from any bookstore, either online or local.