A charm can protect, inflict or influence.

Charm, the second collection by poet Christine McNair, considers the craftwork of conception from a variety of viewpoints—from pregnancy and motherhood, to how an orchid is pollinated, to overcoming abusive relationships, to the manual artistry of carving a violin bow or marbling endpapers.

Through these works, McNair's poetic line evolves as if moving in a spellbound kaleidoscope, etched with omens, fairytales, intimacy's stickiness, and the mothering body.