Semester of Graduation
Spring 2022
Degree
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
English
Document Type
Thesis
Abstract
i didn't know i could is a collection of prose, poetry and collage that work to tell the story of a young girl’s adventure to a parallel realm - aerythia. she discovers that she has escaped from her traumatic reality to a majestic universe she created herself. the collages feature photos from my family archive, handmade paper, hand pressed collages, and found text/images from magazines.
the narrative is a creative exploration of my own traumatic (but not without beauty) childhood truths as well as a reimagining of my unknown ancestry. i am one of many black americans without a succinct, cataloged ancestry and so, i didn't know i could is an attempt to rewrite this narrative, to reimagine my lineage.
the photos featured in these collages belonged to my late grandmother, corene eliza gross.
Recommended Citation
Peterson, Shakirah, "I Didn't Know I Could" (2022). LSU Master's Theses. 5534.
https://repository.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/5534
Committee Chair
Ruffin, Maurice Carlos
DOI
10.31390/gradschool_theses.5534