Date of Award
4-2023
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
English
Program
Creative Writing (MFA)
First Advisor/Chairperson
Dr. Caroline Zoe Krzakowski
Abstract
Why do people—especially lawyers and police—condone sexual violence, refusing to acknowledge the value and worth of survivors’ lives? What does it mean to survive? And to what travesties must we bear witness before collectively taking action to stop perpetuating toxic cycles which harm society’s most vulnerable? Beginning where the body, where language, ends (within the depths of ink itself—into the heartbeat drum of an unconscious poet as she hurls herself back into being), Levity represents a revelatory poetic response to the gravity of tragedy, making beauty out of coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), two disabilities with which I was diagnosed in the immediate aftermath of rape, devastating injustice, and prolonged abuse being human trafficked through the American legal system. Levity asks: is the body itself a kind of poem? Focusing less on ruin and more on hope despite systemic oppression and abusers who routinely attack, undermine, and underestimate women, the LGBTQ+ community, and people with disabilities, this collection of poems embraces erotic power—signaling a desire not just to survive but to be alive—exploring identity fragmentation “post”-trauma; writing as activism, spiritually restorative, and an act of self-love; and the power of individuals to resist cruelty, supporting one another inside the current capitalist heteronormative patriarchy. A poetry book about poetry, the nature of healing, and the spirit’s resilience to persist in the face of trauma with confidence and grace, Levity elevates a silenced voice, uncovering the buried truth: a woman’s love—for herself, humanity, and the world.
Recommended Citation
Peters, Allison Leigh, "LEVITY" (2023). All NMU Master's Theses. 749.
https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/749
Access Type
Open Access
Justification for Restricting Access
I am submitting individual poems from my thesis to literary journals and will be publishing the collection as a book.
Included in
Book and Paper Commons, Civil Rights and Discrimination Commons, Communication Technology and New Media Commons, Critical and Cultural Studies Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Disability Law Commons, Disability Studies Commons, Feminist Philosophy Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Gender Equity in Education Commons, Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication Commons, History of Gender Commons, Human Rights Law Commons, Journalism Studies Commons, Labor and Employment Law Commons, Law and Gender Commons, Leadership Studies Commons, Legal Commons, Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Peace and Conflict Studies Commons, Philosophy of Language Commons, Poetry Commons, Publishing Commons, Social Justice Commons, United States History Commons, Visual Studies Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons