LEVITY

<p>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 <em>survive</em>? 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), <em>Levity</em> 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. <em>Levity</em> 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 <em>survive</em> but to be <em>alive</em>—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 <em>about</em> poetry, the nature of healing, and the spirit’s resilience to persist in the face of trauma with confidence and grace, <em>Levity</em> elevates a silenced voice, uncovering the buried truth: a woman’s love—for herself, humanity, and the world.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Fine Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

English

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Peters, Allison Leigh

Contributors dc:contributor

• Dr. Caroline Zoe Krzakowski

• levity
• poetry
• justice
• survivor
• restorative
• erotic
• transformation
• entanglement
• dream
• feminism
• Book and Paper
• Civil Rights and Discrimination
• Communication Technology and New Media
• Critical and Cultural Studies
• Digital Humanities
• Disability and Equity in Education
• Disability Law
• Disability Studies
• Feminist Philosophy
• Fine Arts
• Gender Equity in Education
• Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication
• History of Gender
• Human Rights Law
• Journalism Studies
• Labor and Employment Law
• Law and Gender
• Leadership Studies
• Legal
• Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
• Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies
• Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures
• Peace and Conflict Studies
• Philosophy of Language
• Publishing
• Social Justice
• United States History
• Visual Studies
• Women's History
• Women's Studies

Repository record dc:identifier

https://commons.nmu.edu/theses/749

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:commons.nmu.edu:theses-1800