Robert Kalman traveled 20,000 miles asking strangers one question. Wednesday, he’ll share their handwritten answers.
When Robert Kalman drove through a small town with his wife Linda just after New Year’s Day 2021, he counted 17 American flags among 28 houses. “Looks like lots of Americans live here,” he remarked with some irony. “I wonder what it’s like for them to be Americans.”
Days later, the January 6 assault on the U.S. Capitol gave that question urgent purpose. Devastated by the violence, Kalman spent the next four years finding out.
On Wednesday at 7 p.m., Kalman will appear at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena to discuss his book of 76 portraits titled “What’s It Like for You to Be an American?” Television writer and novelist Rasheed Newson will moderate the free event, which includes a live demonstration of Kalman’s 8″ x 10″ view camera technique.
The documentary portrait photographer traveled 20,000 miles across 23 states and the District of Columbia, photographing more than 500 Americans. He asked each to write by hand their answer to his question. The responses, according to the project description, “proved to be a mix of pride, privilege, anger, frustration, gratitude, deep ambivalence, and shame.”
Kalman, who lives in Brewster, New York, has made photographs since receiving a Brownie camera for his 10th birthday in 1959. He has worked exclusively in large format since 1987.
Newson co-developed and serves as executive producer of “Bel-Air” and wrote his debut novel “My Government Means to Kill Me,” which The New York Times named one of “The 100 Notable Books of 2022.”
Vroman’s Bookstore, founded in 1894, is Southern California’s oldest independent bookstore.
Robert Kalman, in conversation with Rasheed Newson, discusses and signs “What’s It Like for You to Be an American?” will run on Wednesday, Feb. 4 at 7 p.m. Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 449-5320 or visit https://vromansbookstore.com/event/2026-02-04/robert-kalman.
