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The poems in (Un)belonging explore physical and psychological spaces, examining the consequences of a life lived on three continents, defined by separation from homelands and loved ones, shaped by departure and return, and the evolution and multiplication of identity. Throughout the collection, the setting continually moves from Australia to Ireland to the United States, making stops in England, Iceland, Greece, Italy, New Zealand and Slovakia. O’Reilly’s poetry engages with a range of concerns and obsessions, including identity, belonging, expatriation, immigration, exile, ancestry, landscape, alienation, homesickness, suburbia, fatherhood, nostalgia, death and grief … finding beauty, contentment and joy amidst an elusive quest for home.
About the author
Irish-Australian poet Nathanael O'Reilly teaches creative writing at the University of Texas at Arlington. His poetry collections include Selected Poems of Ned Kelly (Downingfield Press, 2024), Landmarks (Lamar University Literary Press, 2024), Dear Nostalgia (above/ground press, 2023), (Un)belonging (Recent Work Press, 2020), BLUE (above/ground press, 2020) and Preparations for Departure (University of Western Australia Publishing, 2017). His work appears in 125 journals and anthologies published in 15 countries, including Cordite Poetry Review, The Honest Ulsterman, Mascara Literary Review, New World Writing Quarterly, Southword: New International Writing, Trasna, Westerly and Wisconsin Review. He is poetry editor for Antipodes: A Global Journal of Australian/New Zealand Literature.
