Switch

Authors

Freesia Walsh McKee, Florida International UniversityFollow

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