(T)ravel/Un(t)ravel: Poems

As the title implies, this fourth collection of poetry by Neil Shepard is about travel and stasis, journeying to and sojourning in such far-flung places as French Polynesia, Indonesia, and China, as well as in more familiar environs such as England, France, and Spain. As the parentheses of the title suggest, it's also about the unraveling of identity as a traveler crosses boundaries, tries to make sense of new languages and lifestyles, and loses his cultural bearings, Finally, it's about the reintegration (or raveling) of identity, as the traveler stops long enough in some foreign place to regain his bearings, integrate new cultural information, and make it feel like some semblance of 'home.'