Narratives of Poets' Personal
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PENNING POSSIBILITIES: NARRATIVES OF POETS’ PERSONAL AND COMMUNITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES PRACTICING SPOKEN WORD by Sarah J. Uphoff, M.A. A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Council of Texas State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Adult, Professional, and Community Education May 2018 Committee Members: Clarena Larrotta, Chair Miguel A. Guajardo Arlene F. Serrano Jovita M. Ross-Gordon COPYRIGHT by Sarah J. Uphoff 2018 FAIR USE AND AUTHOR’S PERMISSION STATEMENT Fair Use This work is protected by the Copyright Laws of the United States (Public Law 94-553, section 107). Consistent with fair use as defined in the Copyright Laws, brief quotations from this material are allowed with proper acknowledgment. Use of this material for financial gain without the author’s express written permission is not allowed. Duplication Permission As the copyright holder of this work, I, Sarah J. Uphoff, authorize duplication of this work, in whole or in part, for educational or scholarly purposes only. DEDICATION To my family who have built me and believed in me. To my father, Roger, who exemplified authenticity and instilled in me a sense of endless curiosity and a deep love for stories. To my mother, Carol, who embodied foundations of love and compassion and taught me to live with fierce, unapologetic passion. To my sister/best friend, Gretchen, who stands beside me no matter what obstacles we face, I can accomplish anything with you at my side. To my brother-in-law, Chris, your unwavering support and calm insight means so much. To my husband/better half, Reggie, who showed me what true partnership is and believed in me every step of the way. To my son, Jevon, you are my heartbeat and my greatest, most precious story. I love you all so much. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank poetry. You have been a lifeline and my lifesaver more than once. You have helped me navigate and make sense of my life, love, pain, and path. You have welcomed me with open arms, no matter how many times I have walked away. I do not know where I would be without you. I would like to thank my poetry family and community. When I started into the art of Spoken Word, I found a home away from home. A community of individuals who opened their hearts, lives and love to me and so many others. Simply, there are not enough words to share how you have impacted my life. Thank you from the bottom of my pen. B Ayers, you were the first one to take me to a Spoken Word venue. That evening changed the trajectory of my life and allowed me to find the power in my own voice which led me doing this work, personally and professionally. My deepest love and appreciation to some of my dearest friends and colleagues who pushed, believed and supported me in doing this work: Ken Bader-Breslow, Shawn Baker, Sherri Benn, Andre Brown, Christopher Collins, Alvin Curette, Brian Francis, Todd Hall, Chris Henry, Ted Ingwersen, Destiny McKinney, Iliana Melendez, Rosanne Proite, Stella Silva, Ebony Stewart, Anthony White, and Michelle Zulaica. Also, I wish to acknowledge my grandparents, Florence and Kenneth Uphoff, who preserved our family histories through stories. Growing up, listening to my grandmother share her memories about our family deeply impacted my own love for stories. v To Cohort 2011, you were an amazing group of people and I am better for having worked, learned, cried, and laughed with you. This experience made me a better person in every way. I could not have asked for better teammates in this journey. To the participants in my study, thank you for your time and trusting me with your stories. Your willingness to do so allowed this work to be possible. I deeply appreciate you. To my committee, I have been blessed to work with some of the best educators in the field. Dr. Guajardo, thank you for being an unapologetic, out-of-the-box thinker. By doing so you gave me the same permission, which often freed me from trying to fit into boxes I thought I needed to squeeze myself into. Your commitment to community and education is something that continually changes the world and those touched by it for the better. Thank you for welcoming me into your community and allowing me to learn with you inside and outside the classroom. Dr. Arlene Serrano, thank you for your willingness to say yes. Your unyielding positivity and compassion constantly speaks to my heart and touches those who are blessed to work with you. Dr. Ross-Gordon, thank you for your introspection and supportive nature. Your gentle nudges, strong support and depth of knowledge has provided a sense of security for me as a learner from my first day in your classroom. Truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Finally, I would like to thank the absolute phenome I was lucky enough to get to be my committee chair, Dr. Clarena Larrotta. The love, compassion, dedication, and commitment you give your students speaks to the unique kind of educator you are. If I vi can be even half the educator I see you be for others, I will consider myself a success. From the first day of class, I knew you would challenge me to be a better version of myself and I was not wrong. You inspire me so much. You have been the calm in my chaos. The necessary kick in the pants. The cheerleader on my team. The exact person I needed to lead me through this journey. Thank you for not giving up on me. Thank you for not letting me give up on myself. Thank you for being a better role model and mentor than I could have imagined Truly, I cannot express my gratitude enough for everything you have done. You are simply amazing. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .....................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................x LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................... xi ABSTRACT ......................................................................................................... XII CHAPTER I. ROOTED IN WORDS .........................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ...........................................................................10 Research Questions ....................................................................................12 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................12 Researcher’s Perspective ...........................................................................13 Personal Development ...................................................................16 Professional Development .............................................................20 Development as Educator and Researcher .....................................24 Theoretical Framework ..............................................................................26 Dissertation Road Map ..............................................................................30 II. METHODS........................................................................................................32 Narrative Inquiry ........................................................................................33 Poetic Inquiry .............................................................................................35 Study Design ..............................................................................................37 Study Setting ..................................................................................37 The Participants .............................................................................39 Data Collection Sources .............................................................................41 Conversations/Writing Lab ............................................................42 Artifacts and Documents................................................................46 Researcher’s Journal ......................................................................47 Data Analysis Process ................................................................................48 Building Trustworthiness and Credibility ..................................................51 Ethical Considerations ...............................................................................53 III. STORIES OF FOUR POETS BECOMING ENGAGED IN SPOKEN WORD PRACTICE .........................................................................................56 viii Galactus......................................................................................................57 OnSlaught ..................................................................................................67 Professor X.................................................................................................80 Cable ..........................................................................................................91 Chapter Discussion ..................................................................................104 IV. INDIVIDUAL AND COMMUNITY LEARNING EXPERIENCES THROUGH THE USE OF SPOKEN WORD ...............................................108 Storytelling ...............................................................................................109 Finding Voice...........................................................................................115 Healing .....................................................................................................122