The world of Permanent State is one that welcomes anxiety and affection, rage and bewilderment. It encompasses the quotidian and the philosophical, disbelief and the nature of knowledge, history and politics, consumerism and infirmity, social conventions and the environment. Rather than isolate concerns, Permanent State invites and explores many through a variety of forms and styles, from two-word poems to prose poems, and poetic sequences. The book is also the first published by Threadsuns Press.

Brian Henry is the author of ten previous books of poetry. He has translated numerous books from Slovenian, including Aleš Šteger's The Book of Things, which won the Best Translated Book Award. His poetry and translation have received many honors, including grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Howard Foundation.