Little Girl Gods

This master’s thesis, Little Girl Gods, is a collection of poems in three parts. The poems presented here aim to follow a speaker through young girlhood, adolescence, and early adulthood, where the speaker struggles with sloughing off the identity of a girl for that of a woman. The second section, “Little Girl Gods,” is a break in the thread of the lyric I, as it is comprised primarily of persona poems. These poems aim to speak from the point of view of other girls and women, giving them a voice and creating a portrait of a unifying femme experience even across disparities and differences. These poems, however, are written by the speaker of the larger project, and are therefore indelibly touched by her voice. Throughout the collection, there are also found poems taken from the text of American Girl’s Samantha Story Collection, which aim to make a sort of parallel narrative to that of the original story in following a young girl, Samantha, and some of the other girls around her as they navigate the world in feminine bodies. The thesis ends as the speaker forges ahead in life, full of the knowledge and resiliency that comes from girlhood and womanhood. In summary, this thesis explores themes of girlhood, womahood, the body, violence, trauma, addiction, and religion, and aims to present the power of femme bodies as akin to godliness in power, strength, and their dedication to survival against all odds.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.F.A. (Master of Fine Arts)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Creative Writing and Media Arts (UMKC)

Grantor

University of Missouri--Kansas City

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Moran, Shannon

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Bar-Nadav, Hadara

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10355/95774

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:mospace.umsystem.edu:10355/95774