Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Date

2025

Document Type

Thesis (Access Restricted)

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts

Department

Creative Writing

Committee Chair

Marcus Wicker

Committee Member

Emily Skaja

Committee Member

Ladrica Menson-Furr

Abstract

Uses for the Handkerchief examines the myriad ways grief after a profound loss can be embodied. Focusing primarily on the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter, the manuscript explores the love and devotion indicative of that connection, especially within the Black community, emphasizing the personal’s place in the political. Using the experience of Black Southern womanhood, the poems in this collection work with the language and practices of bereavement, providing space for the inspection of loss not only within the landscape of family and matrilineal relationships but also a more racialized context that illuminates the plight of the Black woman as a vessel for grief and mourning in America. Using various poetic forms, this project both eulogizes those whose presence in our lives has left an indelible mark and venerates the principles of sisterhood, the sacred relationship between mothers and daughters, and honors the traditions of the Black Church while also posing questions that speak to the cosmic uncertainty that colors discussions surrounding death and mortality.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

PDF

Notes

No access.

Download

Share

COinS