SET THE BONE

by Jillian Stacia

 SET THE BONE is an uncompromising interrogation of contemporary womanhood—its trauma, quiet rage, and relentless search for healing. Confronting the forces that shape women from the inside out, this collection reckons with family, mental health, feminism, and the cost of surviving in a world determined to keep women contained.

Both blistering and darkly funny, these poems challenge the political and social systems that police women’s lives, bodies, and choices. With sharp insight and unapologetic honesty, SET THE BONE dismantles the myths of obedience, niceness, and silence, offering a defiant refusal to shrink or comply.

At its core, this is a book about becoming—about motherhood and marriage, anger and tenderness, breaking cycles and claiming space. Bold, intimate, and brimming with urgency, SET THE BONE is both a reckoning and a rallying cry for anyone ready to stop apologizing and start telling the truth.

ISBN: 978-1-968451-07-3

Pages: 138

“Set the Bone is a fiery and fearless excavation of modern womanhood. Stacia’s work is simultaneously furious and tender, sharp and intimate. This book feels like it was conjured from deep within, leaving room for something new. I’ll be recommending this to all the women in my life who are looking for permission to keep becoming.”

—Elise Powers, author of The Size of Your Joy

"Jillian Stacia’s Set the Bone tells stories that move like memory itself: lyrical, jagged, and yet daringly intimate. With sharp wit and emotional precision, these poems bear witness to womanhood, inheritance, and the difficult work of staying alive. A phenomenal debut.”

—Maria Giesbrecht, author of A Little Feral