Divining the Silhouette is a collection of poetry that examines relationships and interactions with the world in the context of living with a disability and in a disabled body. In many ways, the collection is a conversation between the author’s younger self and present self, as well as an acknowledgement of all the relationships and connections, environments and influences, essential to her becoming. The poems within the collection serve as a teaching tool, offering a model—one model—of how able-bodied people may interact more effectively with disabled people, offering glimpses of what works and what doesn’t, of what to do and what not to do, and how, if we let them, these relationships can be affirming for both sides. The collection is both self-apology and invitation for others to see an internal life more relatable than perceived at first glance. The body of work is organized into four sections (Outlines, Shadows, Shapes, Body) and includes a variety of poems including, but not limited to, lineated poems, erasure poems, 100 words stories, and prose poems.
","abstract_html":"<p><strong>Divining the Silhouette</strong> is a collection of poetry that examines relationships and interactions with the world in the context of living with a disability and in a disabled body. In many ways, the collection is a conversation between the author’s younger self and present self, as well as an acknowledgement of all the relationships and connections, environments and influences, essential to her becoming. The poems within the collection serve as a teaching tool, offering a model—one model—of how able-bodied people may interact more effectively with disabled people, offering glimpses of what works and what doesn’t, of what to do and what not to do, and how, if we let them, these relationships can be affirming for both sides. The collection is both self-apology and invitation for others to see an internal life more relatable than perceived at first glance. The body of work is organized into four sections (Outlines, Shadows, Shapes, Body) and includes a variety of poems including, but not limited to, lineated poems, erasure poems, 100 words stories, and prose poems.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Baldwin, Allison"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Creative Writing","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Joan Baranow, PhD","Judy Halebsky, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2026,"date_issued":"2026-02-08T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2026-02-08T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:05:00Z","subjects":["poetry","disability representation","spirituality","family","inner child healing","Creative Writing"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/creative-writing-masters-theses/14","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Joan Baranow, PhD","Judy Halebsky, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Baldwin, Allison"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-02-08T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Creative Writing"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["poetry","disability representation","spirituality","family","inner child healing","Creative Writing"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/creative-writing-masters-theses/14"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Divining the Silhouette is a collection of poetry that examines relationships and interactions with the world in the context of living with a disability and in a disabled body. In many ways, the collection is a conversation between the author’s younger self and present self, as well as an acknowledgement of all the relationships and connections, environments and influences, essential to her becoming. The poems within the collection serve as a teaching tool, offering a model—one model—of how able-bodied people may interact more effectively with disabled people, offering glimpses of what works and what doesn’t, of what to do and what not to do, and how, if we let them, these relationships can be affirming for both sides. The collection is both self-apology and invitation for others to see an internal life more relatable than perceived at first glance. The body of work is organized into four sections (Outlines, Shadows, Shapes, Body) and includes a variety of poems including, but not limited to, lineated poems, erasure poems, 100 words stories, and prose poems.
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