“BOUND TO BELEM,” a new book by Dr. James Bogan, will be launched at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, at the Southwestern Bell Cultural Center, 1207 N. Elm St., Rolla. The book, published by the Missouri Partners of the American Press, includes essays, poems, proverbs, documentaries, translations, travelers’ tales, graphics and photographs that Bogan cultivated from his adventures in Brazil.

Bogan, a Curators’ Teaching Professor of arts, languages and philosophy at Missouri University of Science and Technology, first visited Brazil in 1985 to teach a course in American culture at the Federal University of Para. He followed that up with a Fulbright Fellowship in Belem, Brazil, and was a later a Kellogg Fellow in International Development.

Bogan has spent approximately three years of his life in Brazil — teaching, making documentary films, writing, translating and “knocking about.”

One section of his new book, “Remembering Max Martins,” is devoted to the challenges of translating the words of a revered poet in the Amazon. Other sections include stories about making documentary films in the Amazon, expeditions down “thorny” rivers, and a “definitive essay on hammocks.”

“I am delighted that ‘BOUND TO BELEM’ is in print,” Bogan says. “It is the distillation of three years of my life in Brazil. I can’t walk down a street in Belem without some dang adventure falling my way, and I hope that experience comes through in the book.”

In conjunction with the book’s release, Bogan is providing access to “Brazilogy,” three documentaries he made about T-shirts, boats and hammocks, at no charge. The documentaries may be downloaded online.

During the book launch, refreshments and door prizes will be provided by the office of international affairs’ intensive English program and the arts, languages and philosophy department at Missouri S&T.