(Un)belonging

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. OReillys 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.