By Laurence Overmire, Indelible Mark Publishing, $16.00, 74 pages
Hollywood has been the inspiration for dozens of books, movies and TV. shows. Viewers and readers have seen that world depicted as both glitzy and glamorous or as a cruel machine that discards people once they have outlived their profitability margin. Gone Hollywood is a collection of poems that shows both sides, with some added observations about the general absurdity of that world. Some of the poems are amusing, such as ‘Who Wants to be an Idiot?’, some are scathing like ‘Sitcom Souffle’ and some are sad and resonant with emptiness like ‘Does Anyone Remember?’. Degrees of levity aside, this collection of poems serves as a nice reminder to the reader to disconnect from media and focus on the things that matter: family, personal growth and development and, essentially, living life. The poems are arranged nicely in this collection, as well; it starts out lighter and moves toward the more serious. This is a thought-provoking collection that will make the reader laugh and then cry but ends on a hopeful note. Cause, hey, that’s Hollywood.
Reviewed by Barbara Cothern