The Near and Distant World

Praise for The Near and Distant World:

“Evocative.” —Washington Independent Review of Books

“A triumph.” —On the Seawall

“Marries the personal with the expansive … Invites rereading, each return revealing new emotional terrain.” —The Independent (Kansas City)

“Like another Vermont poet laureate, Louise Glück, Stone explores classical allusions to make sense of the contemporary world… . These contemplative lyrics make a turbulent world feel distant, giving the reader space to wrestle with philosophy, myth and language.” —Book Page

“A powerful poetic force … Stone illustrates the many ways humans hope to locate life’s meaning.” —LitHub

“In this stunning collection of poems at once personal and universal, Stone considers ghosts and the unseen… . a unique selection of poems about time, shadows, emptiness, and dreams.”—Booklist

“A deeply introspective work that allows the imperfections of the self to not just be displayed but celebrated.” —Redlands Daily Facts

“A sharp and questioning mind, and the brilliance maturing in her last collection … blossoms in her fourth, The Near and Distant World.” —LitHub

“Stone’s many allusions to writers, films, philosophy, and mythology create a vibrant tapestry. The result is a psychically rich and attentive work.”—Publishers Weekly

“Seeing rather than knowing and feeling rather than thinking preoccupy this poet… . Her poems invite us to dream with her.” —Seven Days

“I loved the unexpected imagery in these poems.” —The Literate Quilter

“The brilliant poet Bianca Stone moves from strength to strength. Her powerful new book is a deep pleasure, fueled by a necessary restlessness in the service of discovery, creating a gorgeous tapestry of introspection and seemingly endless creative expression. These wonderfully rich and capacious poems explore the ‘spectacle of historic grief’ set in tension with the ‘afterlyric of childhood.’ The Near and Distant World is bold, daring, darkly funny, heartrending, and honest.” —Peter Gizzi, author of Fierce Elegy

Bianca Stone is a Vermont-based poet and scholar currently serving as Vermont’s poet laureate. Stone is the author of over many books, including the poetry collections What is Otherwise Infinite which received the 2022 Vermont Book Award and The Near and Distant World, out from Tin House in 2026. Her poetry and writings have appeared widely in such magazines as The New Yorker, The Atlantic, Poets and Writers, The Nation and the Best American Poetry series. In 2013 she co-founded the poetry-based nonprofit, Ruth Stone House, where she organizes events and retreats, teaches classes on poetry and poetic study, hosts the Ode & Psyche Podcast.

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