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Anonymous America by Gary Walton

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This title will be released on August 28, 2026

Anonymous America is a book of poems (as well as the title character) that reflects a state of mind. Like the eponymous character who finds herself in the confused and confusing world of early 21st century America, who likes to ride her bicycle at dusk catching glimpses of the anonymous lives of others through the windows of the many homes she passes, letting the twilight dissolve the barrier between their exterior and interior lives, this collection uses irony, humor, and even poignancy to revel in moments gleaned from that liminal space we all increasing find ourselves—buffeted by forces both known and unknown, by imperious yet faceless algorithms, by social and political vagaries, all the while yearning for personal agency and quiet human dignity, perhaps even clarity in a world that keeps moving towards entropic absurdity. In the end, if we can find humor (if not transcendent meaning) in those found moments of self-reflection, perhaps by laughing we can rise above our diffident fate and become fully human once more—and perhaps have a bit of fun along the way. #poetry #humor #absurd #AI #algorithm #mafia #personalagency #irony #entropy #human dignity #environment #life #love #money #success

Gary Walton has published seven books of poetry. His latest, Anonymous America, will be forthcoming from Finishing Line Press in 2026. His last was Waiting For Insanity Clause (Finishing Line Press, 2017). His novel about Newport, Kentucky in its heyday as a gambling Mecca: Prince of Sin City was published by Finishing Line Press in 2009. He has been nominated for the Pushcart prize twice and in 2010, he was voted Third Place: “Best Local Author” Best of Cincinnati 2010 issue in City Beat magazine. He is an associate professor in the department of English at Northern Kentucky University. His areas of interest include Modernism, postmoderism, and the Irish Literary Renaissance. He received a Ph.D. from the George Washington University. (His thesis was a poststructuralist comparison of James Joyce’s Ulysses and the work of Donald Barthelme.) He is also editor of the Journal of Kentucky Studies, a professional journal of critical and creative work.

PRAISE:

Gary Walton’s Anonymous America is a timely collection of poems about the state of us. Walton combines gut-wrenching analysis with sidesplitting humor—a rare talent, indeed.  From the first poem (which is not, the poet’s alter ego slyly tells us, a metaphor for American politics) we know we are on a rollicking ride. Buckle up and enjoy!
Pauletta Hansel, Cincinnati Poet Laureate Emeritus
 In Anonymous America, Gary Walton observes an aging America going through its post-modern menopause, where technology sleeps around; where leaders are “signifiers without / A discernable signified”; where for too many citizens, “meaning has / Devolved into habit.” Perhaps a way out is to follow the advice offered in one of his poems: “stay home and read a book.” Perhaps that book should be this one.
 —Rhonda Pettit, Emeritus Professor of English, University of Cincinnati

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