Still Singing, Baby

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Fine Arts

Major

Creative Writing

Date of Defense

9-4-2012

Graduate Advisor

Mary Troy, Professor

Committee

John Dalton

Eamonn Wall

Abstract

For many who came of age in the new millennium, who entered it with great hope only to be greeted with a decade bookended by violence and destruction – first, and throughout, by terrorist attacks, military counter-attacks, domestic surveillance and the politicization of all aspects of domestic life; later, the near-complete collapse of the world financial system – questions have become a natural part of life. How does one find peace among so much, and so many different forms of, destruction? How does one build a life, when even one’s own mind is untrustworthy, when one’s own direct experience of the world is subject to question and revision? The speakers and characters in Still Singing, Baby are like many who, having found few answers at home left to search them elsewhere only to find that people, economies and political systems the world over are just as confused, and so come home again. Though answers are few, the process of seeking them finds the speakers moving from confusion and fear to comprehension and strength. Though comprehension is sometimes limited, strength sometimes borrowed, they are there nonetheless, and useful. They are small steps towards a greater understanding. The stories, essays and poems in Still Singing, Baby are a testament to how far some must travel in geography, experience and worldview before finally recognizing, returning to, claiming and celebrating one’s home.

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