Poetry. Like the traveler of its title, CAMINANTE goes out into the world, stimulating our curiosity and empathy. Written during Simon's nine-month sojourn through Latin America in the mid-nineties, each of its 131 octaves is a jewel in its own right, a moment and idea that resonates with distinctive tones. But each octave follows from the one before, and leads to the one after, and each is accompanied by a brief comentario that compliments it with history and local gossip. Though Simon writes primarily in English, his language embraces the unusual rhythms and nuances of a bilingual mind. John Oliver Simon is the author of numerous books of poetry in English and Spanish, including Son Caminos and Lord of the House of Dawn.