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Date Permissions Signed

5-1-2010

Date of Award

2010

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

First Advisor

Miller, Brenda, 1959-

Second Advisor

Lundeen, Kathleen, 1951-

Third Advisor

Paola, Suzanne

Abstract

Snap Shots is a creation story, an origin story, founded from an old cardboard box of photographs. While it is not about adoption, it is written through the eyes of an orphan, a foster child, an adopted person, a mother, a wife, a woman. It is a work of honesty, of courage, of pain, of love, and of acceptance. Inspired and influenced by the work of Lawrence Sutin, specifically A Postcard Memoir, this work is the culmination of an intense and exciting dive into the genre of creative nonfiction. Unlike Sutin's collection of found objects over years of random scouring of antiques stores, Snap Shots is literally, and metaphorically, a photo album of me, my people (as much as anyone can have their own people), and profound parts of my life. An album that is not stagnate and placed on a shelf to become dusty and never opened again, but one that goes through change over time, with the photos and stories being rearranged, replaced, renewed. While the book is bound, its intention is to never really be done. As I continue my career and life as a writer, I hope to always return to these photos and this life and, many years from now when I am a very old woman, still look fondly at these photos and read these stories, smile, and learn.

Type

Text

DOI

https://doi.org/10.25710/ta8b-0k25

Publisher

Western Washington University

OCLC Number

643349377

Subjects – Names (LCNAF)

Nelson, Nancy S. (Nancy Stiles)

Format

application/pdf

Genre/Form

masters theses

Language

English

Rights

Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this thesis for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.

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