Date of Award
Winter 12-7-2024
Degree Name
Masters in Professional Writing
Department
English
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Andrew Plattner
Second Advisor
Jenny Sadre-Orafai
Abstract
Although it might sound cliche, Dr. King was my childhood hero. Every year, my mom would rent Selma Lord, Selma for me from the library and I’d watch it in awe as if I’d never seen it before. Not only was I inspired by how Dr. King and several others led the Civil Rights Movement but, more so, by how he used words to pierce even the hardest of hearts. I’d entertain myself with thoughts such as, “I wonder if I could do that, change the world with words one day.” So, I began writing poetry.
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This project consists of six chapters, which include six essays and twenty-five poems. The essays are written in chronological order, spanning events from age five to twenty-two. They generously provide gravity to the poems, which are organized thematically. This project explains how I used writing and the power of words to express my feelings, to discover myself, and to survive. Much of it pays homage to Inglewood and Los Angeles, the neighboring cities that watered me and hold my childhood memories. The memoir ends with me on a one-way flight, leaving L.A. for Georgia.