Semester of Graduation
Spring 2026
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Professional Writing
Department
English
Committee Chair/First Advisor
Lara Smith-Sitton
Second Advisor
Ralph Wilson
Abstract
This capstone project, Dead Trees & Etz Chaim, is an autoethnographic reflective poetry chapbook that explores the author’s identity as a Messianic Jewish believer through the Jewish motif of the Tree of Life (Etz Chaim). Drawing on personal experience, biblical texts and theology, and archival research, the collection integrates poetry and prose to examine themes of faith, worthiness, suffering, redemption, and salvation.
Structured in five thematic chapters, the chapbook traces a progression from early spiritual questioning and formative experiences, including the author’s bar mitzvah, to deeper theological reflections on the nature of the Jewish Messiah. The work advances the claim that the Messiah is revealed throughout the Bible as Jesus Christ (Yeshua Ha'Mashiach). The recurring image of “dead trees” operates as a dual symbol, representing both physical texts (books and scripture) and experiences of suffering, while emphasizing the paradox of life emerging from death.
Through a blend of lyrical poetry, intertextual biblical engagement, archival research, and reflective commentary, the project seeks to articulate an underrepresented religious perspective and situate Messianic Judaism within the broader context of Judaism while acknowledging the interplay with Christian theology which has roots in Judaism. Ultimately, the chapbook contends that life, meaning, and restoration are found in connection to the Tree of Life, embodied in Yeshua, and invites readers of all backgrounds to consider their place within this interconnected “forest of life.”