Switching Channels is a compilation of poems written over the span of several years. These poems explore a wide array of themes including a series of horror poems, as well as abstract and experimental poems. In 2005, Dr. Shields published his first book of poems. In 2006, that book of poems, entitled Seasons: A Series of Poems Based on the Life and Death of Edgar Allan Poe, was nominated for the prestigious Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement. Other nominees included Stephen King and Clive Barker, who were nominated for short stories, as well as Peter Straub, who was the lifetime achievement award recipient.