In one poem in this emotional and spiritual collection, Linda Gregg
asks, “It is clear why love / took me to the shore of death, / but why
did it bring me back?” In the Middle Distance, Gregg’s sixth
book, explores up to and beyond the crossroads of devastation and
desire. There, Gregg finds not only survival but also salvation—hard
won, resilient, and meaningful. This collection brings Gregg’s passion
and intensity together with a new wisdom and vitality that is
unmistakably original.
“I have loved Linda Gregg’s poems since I first read them. They
are original in the way that really matters: they speak clearly of
their source. They are inseparable from the surprising, unrolling,
eventful, pure current of their language, and they convey at once the
pain of individual loss, a steady and utterly personal radiance.”—W.S. Merwin
“Linda Gregg continues to be the builder of beautiful contraptions,
poems built steadfastly by real life, bright and stark, truths told
tranquil in unblinding light.”—Lucie Brock-Broido
