<DIV><p>"Patricia Smith is writing some of the best poetry in America today. Ms Smith's new book, <I>Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah</I>, is just beautiful?and like the America she embodies and represents?dangerously beautiful. <I>Shoulda Been Jimi Savannah</I> is a stunning and transcendent work of art, despite, and perhaps because of, its pain. This book shines." <B>?Sapphire</B><BR><BR>"One of the best poets around and has been for a long time." <B>?Terrance Hayes</B></p><p>"Smith's work is direct, colloquial, inclusive, adventuresome." <B>?Gwendolyn Brooks</B></p><p>In her newest collection, Patricia Smith explores the second wave of the Great Migration. Shifting from spoken word to free verse to traditional forms, she reveals "that soul beneath the vinyl."</p><p><B>Patricia Smith</B> is the author of five volumes of poetry, including <I>Blood Dazzler</I>, a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award, and <I>Teahouse of the Almighty</I>, a National Poetry Series selection. She lives in New Jersey.</p><BR></DIV>