Poetry

Overview "The goal of this dissertation is to provide an individual perspective within the prevailing homogeneous societal opinion. The poems in this MFA thesis map my observations of our impossibly complete world, while examining the authenticity of chatter, the blurry lines of my imagination, the grey area of blended family, the precariousness of foreclosure, and the difficulties of defining oneself after coming-out. In this attempt at understanding what makes me human, the collection interrogates...

Overview "The poetry manuscript "Around This Impossible Black" unravels what it means to be a queer, Syrian-American woman in America. Through the incorporation of Arabic language, Syrian heritage, and Islamic tradition, the poet navigates her identity as a borderland, ruminating on the loss of the inherited mother tongue and land while not being fully comfortable in America. This conflict is punctuated not only by the war in Syria and widespread Islamophobic terrorism, but also by the breakage of the...

Content Description Nine chapbooks written by Bill Knott, signed by the author and inscribed to Lee Upton:

1. Never Lend Your Umbrella to a Submarine and Other Poems for Young Readers 2. Cemetery Poems 3. Homages 4. Love Poems (Selected) 5. Selected Syllabic Verse 6. Collected Short Poems 7. Selected Poems 1960-2012 8. Stick Poems 9. One Hundred Sonnets (includes cover with original artwork by Bill Knotts)

Scope and Contents This collection contains materials created and collected by Howard Camner between approximately 1976 and 2012 as part of his career as a poet, playwright, screenplay writer, and producer. It includes multiple books written by Camner, including his biography Turbulence at 67 Inches and the Pulitzer Prize nominated Poems from the Mud Room. There are also three original screenplys written by Camner.AV materials include...

Overview "I've Been Cancelling Appointments with My Psychiatrist for Two Years Now deals with the selfreflective understanding of a disabled man coping with his diseases and his overall livelihood in a world that marginalizes the voice of the disabled. It's intended to challenge the ways in which society looks upon those with serious health complications. The poet intends to raise awareness of the ongoing struggle endured by those like him living with disabilities. This is further evoked by detailing...

Overview "'My Dear Yeast' is a collection of poems based on Melanie Hyo-In Han's experiences as a TCK (Third Culture Kid) growing up a Korean in East Africa, facing struggles around identity and racism, as well as cultural and linguistic barriers between her and her family. The inspiration behind her poetry comes from her own childhood and an exploration of identity, belonging, and culture through the use of fragmented form and inclusion of multiple languages. By having formal inventiveness in terms of...

Scope and Contents This collection documents the teaching and writing career of Pearl Wallace Chappell and the history of the Dallas Academy of Speech and Drama. Included in the collection is biographical information about Pearl Wallace Chappell and historical information about the Dallas Academy of Speech and Drama. There are published poems and plays by Pearl Wallace Chappell and an audio recording of her giving a poetry reading shortly before her death. Also included are alumni directories and yearbooks,...

Overview "People/Places/Things/Ideas attempts to unpack experience, we as humans, internalize. The collection is separated into sections—highlighting each piece through the central theme and placing them into its respected noun-home. There are poems of womanhood, abuse, and mental health— each carrying a weight that the speaker has borne over time." -- Abstract

Overview "Throughout the five mirror sequences of "the book of strange migrations"—each about different types of exile—I explore and explode traditional forms, particularly sonnets. The first sequence—thirteen poems—examines emerging gay sexuality (darkened by childhood abuse) and sexual maturation (against the backdrop of the AIDS pandemic's worst years). The second—eleven sonnets—traces a relationship that persists despite disappointments, deceits, and separations. The third sequence—fifteen...