Abstract:
In this collection of poetry, I tell the story of The Lighthouse Man, a lighthouse keeper in a
changing world. By looking at this lonely character, I explore themes of regret, longing, loss,
and duty, themes I find compelling and relatable. In "The Lighthouse Man," three threads
intertwine to link the whole collection together: the story of the Lighthouse Man himself
told in third-person, narrative poetry, poems in the voice of the Lighthouse Man told in a
more lyrical first-person, and prose poems that tell the story of Sam, a woman who breaks
into the dilapidated lighthouse years after The Lighthouse Man has left. While telling these
interlocking narratives, I also attempt to put two literary genres in conversation with one
another. As a writer, I've always read and drawn influence from diverse sources, like the
powerful voice of Sharon Olds' poetry or the flash fiction of Kim Chinquee. Because of this,
I've written in many genres and styles. In this collection, I consciously wanted to play with
language while also telling a cohesive narrative with developed characters. By weaving
together prose with lyric poetry I ask the question: how can the friction between the two
genres be harnessed? With this collection, I argue that fiction and poetry can be combined to
create something even greater.
