The Deep Blue of Neptune

Winner of the 2024 Stan and Tom Wick Poetry Prize

The Deep Blue of Neptune is a striking, meditative collection of poems by Terry Belew, which reminds readers of the necessity of empathy in the midst of uncertain and unsettling times. Set against a rural backdrop, Belew’s poems reside in the everyday––driving on gravel backroads, roaming the aisles of Walmart, and doomscrolling on a smart phone––to highlight the contradictory qualities of existence.

Belew utilizes a variety of forms, familiar and invented, including free verse, sonnets, sestinas, and “wish lists,” to explore his speakers’ inner lives. Often haunted by violence, from car crashes to gunshots, these poems are a reflection of how people must navigate the bleak landscape of the digital age. The Deep Blue of Neptune is a masterfully crafted debut, blending lyricism with wry humor to address the complexities of our relationships with other people, with nature, and with ourselves.