Graduate Project

Fourth-quarter play

This memoir is a coming-of-age story utilizing three main segments: one focusing on a failed relationship with my father, another confronting mortality through the diagnosis of a chronic illness, and a third strand focusing on death through a work experience in a nursing home. These strands are braided in a loosely chronological sequence to explore these moments as they relate to the failed parental relationship. This relationship is sometimes explored utilizing the concept of sports, specifically basketball, as both an example of the relationship and a defining element reflected in the title. Present-day reflection is sprinkled throughout each strand to define the change in the character on the page. Imagery and specific scenes show different sides to each story in both positive and negative lights. In the critical introduction, I discuss artists of inspiration as well as critical theories from Mary Karr and Philip Lopate as applied to my work.

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