DEEP RUTS by Julie Rae Powers, Platanus Editions

Platanus Editions, 2024
11.5 × 11.5 in
250 pages
Six-color offset printing
Hardcover with smyth-sewn case binding
Cloth wrap with silkscreen
First edition of 500

Deep Ruts—a triple entendre alluding to the deep roots of religion, a deer in rut, the ruts of the mind in which our ways of thinking and values carve into our daily lives—is a collection of photographs from Queer Appalachian photographer Julie Rae Powers. A combination of portraits and landscapes set an isolating, longing stage using iconography of Appalachia—known for its history of coal mining, rural isolation, and tradition—alongside self portraits for Powers to queer the standard notion of what being Appalachian is.

The monograph is separated into three portfolios: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Playing off of these traditionally religious concepts, their aura is felt throughout Powers’ photographs. Using a variety of black and white and color, scanned documents, family photographs, and self-portraiture, Powers leads us through the candor of their narratives. Deep Ruts guides viewers through the history, values, and aura of Appalachian roots.