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Climate Change, Taylor Shalon Byas

All ETDs from UAB

The poems in this thesis function on two different levels. On one level, they explore the similarities and differences between Chicago and Birmingham, the two places in which I have spent most of my life. On another level, these poems attempt to reconcile the differences between my younger and older selves, both of which have existed in environments fraught with social and political tensions. The first half of this collection explores Chicago and more closely examines my ancestry and family history. The poems in this section also endeavor to deconstruct stereotypes about Chicago and to depict the city as a …