Just Passing Through

by M. Scott Douglass

Scott Douglass’s fine new book of poems, JUST PASSING THROUGH, takes to the highway with verve and thrum and claims that terrain—as well as the volatile back lanes of the heart—as the province of yearning. His language ignites and pounds like pistons. But the landscapes he roars by stay with us as he marks each signpost with poems that “reveal a sacred / path to another wayward spirit.” This book establishes him as a bard of the open road, “passing through the walls of lives / with no fixed destination, / but a tireless need to say / [he’s] been somewhere.” That somewhere is here, this interstice in time, this whistle stop, we all occupy and flail away at making sense of. These are deep, contemplative poems—Scott Douglass at the top of his game. —Joseph Bathanti

94 pages, Paperback

Published October 7, 2017

About the author

M. Scott Douglass was born in Pittsburgh, grew up there, in Wheeling, WV, but mostly in Erie, PA. He spent 20 years as a dental technician before founding Main Street Rag Publishing Company where he is now the publisher and managing editor. His poetry has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and he was the recipient of a NC Arts & Science Emerging Artists Grant in 2001. His work has appeared in such places as The Asheville Poetry Review, Iodine Poetry Journal, and Southern Poetry Review (among others). He has a degree in Graphic Arts and has taught Graphic Arts & Graphic Design at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC where he now lives with his wife. His design work has earned him two PICA Awards and was nominated for a 2010 Eric Hoffer Award. Life experience includes owning and operating a bookstore, coaching baseball and basketball, construction and demolition work, and breeding rats for the Pathology Department at the University of Pittsburgh. He even wrestled a lion, once upon a time. But that's another story.

Reviews

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Evocative and provocative, JUST PASSING THROUGH is a great read for both seasoned poetry lovers and the uninitiated. Each of the poems in this short collection illustrates life on the road for a man on his motorcycle. As the author crosses and crisscrosses the US, he shares his observations. His characters and locations are interesting, his humor biting, his eye keen as he relates captivating details of our myriad towns and highways. Douglass doesn't like traffic, drug addicts, selfies and much of postmodern America, but he is willing to ride though the mess and take a hard look at it all.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this advanced copy through Goodreads:) Poems for me are hit or miss. This book, was mostly a hit! Each poem was like reading a mini story, some very raw and honest, some entertaining a, and several made laugh out loud! A few made me feel the authors pain. I enjoyed this book; Thank you Goodreads and Thank You M. Scott Douglas :)

[Janet Womack · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy of Just Passing Through as a Goodreads giveaway. I enjoyed the collection of poems. I think anyone that has ever traveled alone can relate to these poems. Some of them come across as very raw and honest.

[Nathan Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice travelogue poems here. Captures a broad swath of our country.