The Secret Land by Patrick Sheils is a collection of poems about purpose. It examines the tension between the individual purpose that propels us to live our day- to-day lives, contrasted against the backdrop of a seemingly purposeless universe governed by indifferent laws. Through this conflict, Sheils strives to find moments we can celebrate while questioning their authenticity. He ponders the effect of a purposeless world on love, sorrow and beauty. Is there any truth to these abstract concepts? How might other individuals at different stages of their life deal with such a schism, and how do those realities dictate the story arc of ones life? Is it possible for one to create a new world by sacrificing the old? Advance Praise for The Secret Land: "Patrick's honest, intimate writing discovers the emotion in imagery, using it to build a bridge between life's moments of mundanity and extreme gravity. In managing to make sense of those seemingly conflicting worlds, he'll make you feel seen and soothed in your own journey for purpose in our climate of escalating chaos." - Kevin Fallon, Senior Entertainment Writer for The Daily Beast "Sheils' debut is a fierce and unrelenting collection of prose that pulls no punches, even until its conclusion." - James D. Deaux IV, Author of The Student Writer's Guide to Avoiding Dead Words