This thesis is built on the assumption that in order to be a serious Thoreau scholar, one must move away from Walden (1854) and read his other works. Walden is, to be sure, Thoreau’s most studied book and remains an iconic example of 19th-century Amer . . .

Inheritance is a collection of poetry that sets out to redefine the word “inheritance” through three sections. The first section of the collection follows the musical inheritance of the speaker and the impressions of family that have come before him. . . .

The Judas Tree is a collection of poetry that focuses on the act of witnessing tragedy. This collection explores specific events I have observed in both nature and in firefighting. Many of the experiences in the collection were witnessed first-hand. T . . .

The Master of Fine Arts culminating exhibition, Sanctuary: Into the Woods, draws upon two themes, which are my struggle with expectations of feminine beauty and how nature has become my place of sanctuary. As the viewer enters the smaller gallery of t . . .