"They Won't Shut Up" by Cindy J. Smith -review & interview

Title: They Won't Shut Up

Author: Cindy J. Smith

Genre: Poetry

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Cindy J. Smith to chat with her about her new release today. It's her second collection of poetry titled "They Won't Shut Up."

Hey there, Cindy! Tell us a bit about yourself and what you’re currently working on or promoting.  

I am married and my husband and I drive a semi over-the-road.  Currently, I am promoting the release of my second book of poetry, They Won't Shut Up, which is being published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing on July 13.

What does your writing space look like?  

My job keeps me away from home, so my writing space is my lap, lol.  I use a voice recorder to write my poems then type them on my laptop.  

What do you do when you’re not writing?  

If I am not writing or working, I love to read and listen to music.  I used to garden and bake but my job makes that almost impossible.

Has reading a book ever changed your life? Which one was it and why, if yes?  

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.  I started to really see what the government was doing.  It is so scary to realize that, even with the proof of history, we are still repeating the same mistakes.

Which poem from "They Won't Shut Up" is the most important to you, and why?  

The most important to me is the set of poems titled Cosmic Conversation.  It is written as a message from my daughter telling me to move on and my answer to her explaining my tears.  I wrote it at a time I was really having trouble handling the grief.

What do you do to stay sane as a writer?  

Stay sane?  Is that a requirement?  Actually, I use my poems to keep me sane.  If something is getting to me, I write it out so that I can look at it from a different perspective.

Where can readers find you online?

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/CindysVoices

Barnes and Noble:  http://tinyurl.com/cu4q7c8

Amazon Author Page:  http://tinyurl.com/clybzs8

Amazon Paperback: http://tinyurl.com/cv6mcwg

Amazon Kindle:  http://tinyurl.com/cjt3ka6

AmazonUK  paperback:  http://tinyurl.com/clbxnbl

AmazonUK kindle:  http://tinyurl.com/ccnn3bf

Goodreads:  http://tinyurl.com/cc65z86

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/cindysvoices

Pinterest:  http://pinterest.com/cindyjsmith1

Here's my review of the collection:

**** 4 Stars

I'll start off by saying I'm not a huge lover of poetry. I feel like a lot of folks just take whatever comes to their minds, throw it into stanzas, and call it poetry. That's not the case with Cindy Smith's second collection "They Won't Shut Up"! This book covers a lot of very real topics, ranging from everyday occurrences to playboys, dream lovers, children, and the Westboro Baptist Church. 

I have to say that my favorite poem in the collection is "Evil & Twin." It speaks of an optimist who only sees the good in the world, and the polar opposite: someone who sees the reality of the damage mankind does to the planet and themselves. 

My only complaint with the collection is that I wish she had a bit more free verse, or something that broke her usual pattern of four line stanzas. But poetry is unique to each author. I can honestly say there's probably at least one poem in here that will speak to every person, in some way.