The poems in this collection are poems of discovery and explanation. They are the recordings and insights of what it means to be a young male in the North American Midwest in the year 1992. Some are memories of what was or what should have been. Some of the poems are attempts to give meaning to what is, or more importantly, to give meaning to the "who" that is becoming. The majority of the poems deal with opposing tensions, especially between society and the individual, and between knowing and the unknown. In almost all the poems there are two forces pulling at the narrator, and there is an axis between the poles which must remain balanced.The need for balance becomes a central element because of the narrative influence in the poems. They represent a coming of age and contain the myriad viewpoints struggling for recognition at such a time. Some of the poems seem to detail this process; others seem to be results of it. In either case, the poems try to capture the emotive and cognitive quality of a moment.The frequent tension between the conflicting emotive and analytical qualities often results in an ambiguity in the poems. This collection is not so much a finished piece of work as a still continuing process. I hope this questioning attitude is plain in the work and is shared by the reader, for it is a major quality of the poems.Ball State UniversityMuncie, IN 47306 / Department of English

This thesis is a collection of poems in progress highlighting absurd American tragedies using a backdrop of divorces from personal relationships relayed through humor and off-beat sincerity.

Writing is the process by which a writer explores self and her relationship to the world. There are several occurring themes in this thesis that explore this idea. A few of the works written in the early stages of my writing career revolve around the politics of race, gender, and class stratification as they unfurl in the urban community. Latter poems speak more to larger ideas concerning human conditions such as: greed, frailty, reliance, and desire amongst other things. Not only do themes become internal, as skill and craft are acquired, rhetorical devices become internal as well. While earlier poems rely on obvious musicality, latter poems consciously deploy line breaks and metaphor to open poems to numerous meanings and interpretations, so that not only is the writer familiar with the contextual landscapes of her poems, but readers are as well.

This is a manuscript comprised of two yearsÕ reflection, in an advanced setting, on the roles of poetry and gender today, as might be expressed through old or ancient forms and tropes, as well as more contemporary poetic approaches. No specific narrative is established, but themes are iterated, and reiterated, in multiple settings with the intention of permitting the reader freedom in his or her interpretation. This intention has its place in the wilfulness of the Poet to explain the self, as it is experienced, how it is idealised, and how it may actually be in a controlled environment.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2004. / Adviser: Mary Kooy.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on December 27, 2007) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 20, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on March 24, 2009) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--Youngstown State University, 2008. / Also available via the World Wide Web in PDF format.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Also available on the World Wide Web.