Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Major/Program
Creative Writing
First Advisor's Name
Denise Duhamel
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
Julie Wade
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Third Advisor's Name
Donna Aza Weir Soley
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Keywords
poetry, feminism, post-confessional, empathy, millennial, creative writing, long poems, queer, LGBTQ, teaching
Date of Defense
3-10-2020
Abstract
SWITCH is a collection of post-confessional feminist poems exploring what it means to be a Millennial, a witness, a woman, a daughter, a dissident, and a student and teacher at the same time. Bookended by two long poems, the poetic-narrative heart of this collection dives into experiences of queer self-actualization, violence, community, family, and love. Narratives about simultaneity, empathy, and politics drive home the message of these poems: the dailiness of our lives is both quotidian and profound.
SWITCH is inspired by writers like Ellen Bass, Audre Lorde, Allison Joseph, June Jordan, Judy Grahn, and Marge Piercy, who’ve used intimate, public, personal, and collective experiences to develop a political lens rooted in empathetic self-awareness. The speaker switches between narrative long poems, lists, personal stories, and fragmentation, juxtaposition, repetition, and the subjunctive sense of “what if?” to establish what it might mean live a meaningful and awareness-driven life on planet Earth.
Identifier
FIDC008919
Recommended Citation
McKee, Freesia Walsh, "Switch" (2020). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4419.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4419
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