Date of Award
4-2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
English
Program
Creative Writing (MFA)
First Advisor/Chairperson
Matthew Frank
Abstract
“Cherry Tree Variations” is a book-length creative nonfiction essay that collages memoir, research, and artifacts into a meditation on the meaning of community and the places in which queerness has often been forced to hide: in shadows, in whispers, and at the margins of the page. This lyric essay comprises a persistent attempt to gather a lineage where there is none and to find the author’s place in a society that refuses to center them. Through this experimental form and research therein, the author discovers their origins, complicates their understanding of their own identity, and considers their role in perpetuating this pieced-together family tree for future queer/trans generations.
Recommended Citation
Koontz, Ari, "Cherry Tree Variations" (2025). All NMU Master's Theses. 879.
https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/879
Access Type
Open Access
Justification for Restricting Access
I am a creative writer and would like to protect my work so that I can publish it elsewhere; major publishers and literary magazines will not accept a work that is already available online.
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