Chosen by renowned poet Carolyn Forche as a finalist in the 1993 AWP Series in Poetry, Bruise Theory is Natalie Kenvin’s debut poetry collection. Compact and powerful, her poems fly like small fists. They address emotional illness, mother-daughter relationships, friendship and erotic love, physical abuse, and the strength it takes to endure. These poems reveal Kenvin’s extraordinary sympathy for her subjects - from her daughter in the throes of emotional illness to the bold figure of the character Sweetie.