Toward a Different Way of Knowing/Being/Speaking - Poetic Openings and Feminist Praxis in Contemporary Works

Aug 29, 2026

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This dissertation examines feminist and antiracist interventions in contemporary literature and culture, arguing that poetry and the concept of poiesis can support more equitable political praxis. Through close readings, it treats “poetry” as a mode of thinking and being rather than only a genre. Diane di Prima’s Loba anchors a chapter on “open field” poetics, while subsequent chapters extend poetic “opening” to care across academic and online discourse, collective protest, and popular music, supported by original Interludes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages268

Reading Time6 h 53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Why Poetry

Outline of Chapters

Chapter 1: Woman and/as Myth in Loba: di Prima’s “Open Field” as Poetic Process and Feminist Praxis

A Road Map

Reading Loba as a Feminist Open Field

Interlude

Chapter 2: Taking “Care” Seriously: Racial Trauma, Pained Bodies, and the Responsibilities of Poetry

A Case Study

Care and the Body

Interlude

Toward a Different Way of Knowing/Being/Speaking: Poetic Openings and Feminist Praxis in Contemporary Works by Jessica Covil-Manset Department of English Duke University Date: Approved: Joseph Winters Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English in the Graduate School of Duke University 2022 ABSTRACT Toward a Different Way of Knowing/Being/Speaking: Poetics Openings and Feminist Praxis in Contemporary Works by Jessica Covil-Manset Department of English Duke University Date: Approved: Joseph Winters An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of English in the Graduate School of Duke University 2022 Copyright by Jessica Covil-Manset 2022 Abstract This dissertation looks at feminist and antiracist interventions in contemporary literature and culture and the ways in which poetry and the concept of poiesis can betaken up to imagine more equitable political praxis. My first chapter offers a sustained close reading of Diane di Prima’s Loba andits mythical, feminist intervention within“open field” poetry, a movement associated with the Black Mountain poets. The remainder of the dissertation extends my analysis of poetic “opening” into other contexts, advocating for newly imagined forms of care in the worlds of poetry, academic and online discourses, collective protest movements, and popular music. My project examines “poetry” not just as a particular genre or medium, but as a mode of thinking and being in the world. I turn to poetry for the tools it has the capacity to give us: the ability to read closely and carefully; the understanding that “meaning” can be layered, subjective, and even contradictory; the desire to inwardly reflect and reach outside of ourselves, simultaneously; a call to witness. Poetry offers a way of writing, but also away of reading, interpreting, and responding. In this spirit, I include “Interludes” that offer pauses, spaces for reflection, and bridges between the major contexts and concepts of different chapters; these Interludes, as well as my Introduction and Conclusion, each contain an original poem and encourage the interrelationship between scholarly and creative modes of writing. Dedication To my husband, Michael Manset, and my sister, Brittany Montgomery— my very best friends. Thanks for making the path less rocky, and way more fun . Contents Abstract...................................................................................................................... iv Dedication ................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgements .................................................................................................... ix Introduction................................................................................................................. 1 Cento ..................................................................................................................... 1 Why Poetry............................................................................................................ 7 Outline of Chapters ................................................................................................ 9 Chapter 1: Woman and/as Myth in Loba: di Prima’s“Open Field” as Poetic Process and Feminist Praxis ...........................................................................................................16 A Road Map..........................................................................................................17 Reading Loba as a Feminist Open Field..................................................................19 The “Dance” Between the Whole and Its Parts .......................................................27 Embracing

FAQs

What central argument does the dissertation make about poetry and poiesis?

Poetry and poiesis can be taken up to imagine more equitable political praxis, treating “poetry” as a mode of thinking and being in the world rather than only a genre.

How does Chapter 1 use Diane di Prima’s Loba?

Chapter 1 offers a sustained close reading of Loba, focusing on its mythical feminist intervention within “open field” poetry and exploring how that process shapes feminist praxis.

What contexts does the dissertation extend poetic “opening” into?

It extends poetic “opening” into worlds of poetry, academic and online discourses, collective protest movements, and popular music, emphasizing newly imagined forms of care.

Aug 29, 2026

Upload by Finn