Incorrect Merciful Impulses

"I tell the truth, but I try to be kind about it."—Camille Rankine in 12 Questions

Named "a poet to watch" by O Magazine, Camille Rankine's debut collection is a series of provocations and explorations. Rankine's short, lyric poems are sharp, agonized, and exquisite, exploring themes of doubt and identity. The collection's sense of continuity and coherence comes through recurring poem types, including "still lifes," "instructions," and "symptoms."

From "Symptoms o...