The abstract for my Creative Writing MFA thesis with Bowling Green State University is now available to view on the OhioLINK library catalog. The thesis, Stinging Nettle, is comprised of poems created and refined during my time in grad school—the contents of which may eventually form a full-length book in the future. The thesis itself is not available to view, as this work remains protected by me, which was one of the many reasons I chose to apply to BGSU. Some MFA programs have their students upload their theses to a digital repository, which can mean that the collection is considered published by the literary establishment and cannot be considered further. I’ve even heard of a program that limits students from publishing their thesis work until they have been graduated for a full year!

Here’s the abstract:

For centuries, stinging nettle, a common worldwide weed, has been harnessed for its medicinal properties. Sharp to the touch, the nettle’s barbs are a defense mechanism that causes a burning rash when the plant is mishandled: “Pain is capable of surprise even when expected,” the poet reveals in this collection’s title work, an ars poetica about hurt and its transformative effects on creating art. Peering inside private lives, Caverhill explores what is both domestic and wild through a series of poems that examine the origins of family tradition; the breakdown and unification of family systems in response to serious illnesses, a natural disaster, and a global pandemic; and the insights that can occur when we give voice to difficult emotions.

Many thanks to my thesis advisor, Sharona Muir, and Larissa Celli Szporluk for being a part of my committee, and thanks to my cohort—Alison Mejias Santoro, Cloe Watson, Turner Wilson, and Matt Miller—for their feedback and support with this collection of poems.