Ruth Stone (1915-2011) was the author of thirteen books of poetry. Her first book, In an Iridescent Time, was published in 1959, the year of her husband's death. As a single mother of three daughters, Stone traveled throughout the United States, working as a poet and educator. She served as the Poet Laureate of Vermont and also received many honors during her lifetime, including the 2002 National Book Award for Poetry. Her last book, What Love Comes To: New and Selected Poems (Copper Canyon Press, 2008), was a finalist for the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.