All of the songs in this volume are connected, in one way or another, to renowned tenor and new music champion, Paul Sperry. The Long Island Songs were composed in 1992 and premiered in December of that year by Paul and underwent extensive revision in 2005. The Land of Nod was commissioned by, and is dedicated to, Paul. In 1992, he telephoned the composer and exclaimed, "I've just read a new book of poetry and thought immediately of you." The composer was quite flattered until he read the poems and discovered their subject matter ranged from a hitch-hiking Manson-family devotee to matricide. The work was premiered at Merkin Hall in 1993.