Is There Anyone in America? by Pamela Smith

“Pamela Smith’s new chapbook from Finishing Line Press is titled Is There Anyone in America?, and, in a series of thought-provoking poems, asks questions considering such issues as how landscape shapes us, gun violence, climate change, helping beggars, mindless tourism, and our addiction to TV watching.  Writing about stereotyped female beauty, Smith asks, “Who can . . . image that women can be glamorous in heavier flesh?”  The refutation of Barbie seems especially timely, considering the young girls influenced by social media.

“This collection of trenchant inquiries into America’s cultural hodgepodge illustrates that knowing the answers may not be as critical as asking the correct questions.  Highly recommended reading.”

–Sheryl Clough, past publisher of Write Wing Press and author of Ring of Fire, Sea of Stone and editor of Surrounded: Living with Islands and Through a Distant Lens: Travel Poems

“The poems in Pamela Smith’s Is There Anyone in America? read like a continuous song, thanks to a clever use of beat poet-like repetition.  She writes with deep-rooted curiosity about the fabric of existence and dives into “how landscape shapes us.”  Through this collection, Pamela asks questions about our society in a way that we can all relate.  And there’s a playful rhythm to it all.”

–Marcus Amaker, first Poet Laureate of Charleston, SC and member of the SC Literary Hall of Fame; author of The Birth of All Things, Hold What Makes You Whole, The Soft Paper Cut, among others