Principles of Belonging is a book length poem written in many different poetic forms, including Anglo-Saxon, Blank (Iambic Pentameter), Cynneghanedd (Welsh) and Sanskrit, which is an ancient form of syllabic meter. Sanskrit is a historical Indo-Aryan language, the primary liturgical language of Hinduism and a literary and scholarly language in Buddhism and Jainism, and Gray adapted the poetic form into English. The poem follows four children who struggle for a sense of belonging that continues to elude them even in adulthood. Their lives come together despite large geographical differences and debilitating childhood experiences that include alcoholism, Indian Partition, poorly located hernias and a father with a big secret -- eventually finding what they were looking for.

Witness the rawness of Benares, the heat and romance of Rajasthan, the cruel beauty of Goa, the spirituality of Rishikesh, the mysteries that surround Mussoorie, the traditions of Bengali culture in Calcutta and the remote wilderness of the Palani Hills through the poet's eyes during his 1994 visit to India and subsequent move there 18 years later.

(Softcover) This adaptation of the Beowulf epic, written for a younger audience, preserves the Anglo-Saxon verse feel of the original text. Illustrations by Sean Yates enhance the reader's experience. "Joshua Gray's poetic re-telling of the Beowulf epic as a tale for children gets to the essence of the action with a use of modern English which is accessible and clear for young minds, listening while busily building their own image-worlds... I have the sense that this new text may well encourage very young listeners, years later (after their bedtime stories are a distant memory), to recall this tale with pleasure and to discover a vibrant curiosity to know more about the doings of Hrothgar, Grendel and Beowulf." -- Benjamin Bagby, Performer of Beowulf "Gray captures both the fearsomeness of the poem's monsters and the artful alliteration of its Anglo-Saxon origins...Hook the kids with this version, and hope that they will return to the longer poem in later years." -- Tod Linafelt, Georgetown University