Mercy

Lucille Clifton's book sales are in the tens-of-thousands annually. She is among the most widely-read and appreciated poets in American verse. Her last collection, Blessing the Boats (BOA, 2000), won the National Book Award, and her collection, The Terrible Stories (BOA, 1996), was a NBA finalist. She is the only poet to be nominated for two Pulitzer Prizes in the same year.