“On Distance by Emily Ahmed is a luminous debut poetry collection that spans a decade of writing, beginning in her teenage years and culminating during a coming-of age period as she grappled with notions of solitude, loneliness, and finding community. What began as scattered reflections evolved into a deeply introspective project in an effort to make sense of self, memory, and belonging through language. Blending myth and modernity, these poems explore myth-making, love, and the search for home. Ahmed reminds us that stories are life-saving acts of meaning-making, myths we return to for empathy and guidance. With lyrical grace and striking clarity, On Distance reveals how myth, memory, and survival intertwine to illuminate the distances we live and love through.” -Elyssar Press