Equal parts poetry collection and adult coloring book, The Million Mile Stare
is the second collaboration between siblings, Dorian Paul Rogers and Gabrielle Fludd. The book’s title is a reference to the thousand-yard stare,
a war term related to the distant, and sometimes soulless, gaze of a shell-shocked soldier. Rogers’ poetry gives voice to the childhood trauma he experienced growing up as a bi-racial child in East Cleveland, Ohio and Albany, Georgia. Gabrielle, a visual artist and illustrator, created accompanying artworks in black and white with intricate designs in order to allow readers to color and more deeply reflect on the written words. Rogers’ and Fludd’s collaboration gives unique perspectives on issues related to
self-love, self-identity, race, education, colorism, and socio-economics.
The Million Mile Stare aims to provide a sense of catharsis to readers as
they explore the written words while creating new art of their own through coloring.