Theory of Care

Author

Gabriella Ann GraceffoFollow

Year of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Degree Name

Creative Writing (Poetry)

Department or School/College

English

Committee Chair

Keetje Kuipers

Commitee Members

Christopher Dombrowski, Heather Voorhees

Keywords

trauma, language, poetry, body, medical

Subject Categories

Poetry

Abstract

With a backdrop of the body and its inner forms, Theory of Care is a collection of poems and lyric excerpts that explores themes of queer sexuality, physical and mental health, etymology, desire, and physicality. It coheres moments of internal reckoning with an exploration of how trauma lives in the body, particularly the queer femme body. By accessing various landscapes including the medical sphere, family dynamics, and the social environments of the South, the collection grapples with different vernaculars to question how the language used to discuss (or dismiss) trauma dramatically alters the perception of those experiences.

Recommended Citation

Graceffo, Gabriella Ann, "Theory of Care" (2023). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11899.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11899