Flowers for the Dead

Author

Joaquin Castillo Jr., The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Date of Award

5-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Creative Writing

First Advisor

Emmy Pérez

Second Advisor

Dr. Jean Braithwaite

Third Advisor

Dr. David Bowles

Abstract

This collection of poetry and photography is a practice in creating a multimodal work that gives equal weight to each medium. These are presented as three sections, Mictlān, Kingdom of the Sun, and Old 83; for the purpose of this manuscript, they are in reverse chronological order. The first two sections use the trials of Mictlān as a narrative throughline to explore language, displacement, and the loss and mourning of indigenous identity. These pieces are a criticism against the systemic issues and institutional violence that contribute to the ongoing disenfranchisement of borderlands communities and people. The third section is more grounded in my lived experience as a Latine youth, and my perspective of the Rio Grande Valley. This manuscript does not end here, it goes beyond the completion of the MFA, and is my contribution to the conversations surrounding those who identify as Latine/Xicanx but feel uprooted and are in search of home.

Comments

Copyright 2023 Joaquin Castillo Jr. All Rights Reserved.

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/utrgv.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/flowers-dead/docview/2842685104/se-2?accountid=7119

Recommended Citation

Castillo, Joaquin Jr., "Flowers for the Dead" (2023). Theses and Dissertations. 1203.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/etd/1203