"Populist Elegance" grapples with reincarnation, love, despair, God, and Country in William E. Scholz's first volume of poetic works. What does «Populist Elegance» mean? It's the simple life with rhinestone finishing and the seeking of beauty in the crowd. We all seek elegance amidst lives that no matter our race, creed, religion, or wealth are, for the most part, lived similar to one another. "Populist Elegance" was written during, and inspired by, the coronavirus pandemic while on a drive through Will's hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. Will has been both trying to leave and trying to return to Erie, PA for as long as he can remember, searching for elegance amidst the worker and in the mirror, searching for himself.