<DIV><p>“Her writing shines.”—<I>The New York Times Book Review</I></p><p>Without awkwardness we would not know grace, stability, or balance. Yet no one before Mary Cappello has turned such a penetrating gaze on this misunderstood condition. Fearlessly exploring the ambiguous borders of identity, she mines her own life journeys—from Russia, to Italy, to the far corners of her heart and the depths of a literary or cinematic text—to decipher the powerful messages that awkwardness can transmit.</p><p> <B>Mary Cappello</B> is the author of <I>Night Bloom</I> (1999) and is a professor of English at the University of Rhode Island. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island.</p></DIV>