Abstract

Orbits & Animals is a poetic bildungsroman exploring a longing for genuine connection, gendered perspectives on mental illness, and the ways in which girlhood ruminates throughout the course of a woman’s early adulthood. The primary component of the collection is poems in which the sustained speaker addresses various “you” figures and considers the ways in which these relationships have affected her. While the reader is not made aware of who the different “you” figures are specifically, the context of each poem indicates the nature of the relationship. Sections from a crown of sonnets in which the speaker addresses the “you” figure meant to be her mother are interspersed throughout the collection, guiding the reader chronologically and emphasizing the ways in which the speaker’s earliest relationships have influenced her later relationships. Additionally, the collection explores the speaker’s relationship with depictions of mental illness often deemed “feminine,” such as unstable moods, a distorted self-image, and an intense fear of abandonment. Finally, the speaker often refers to a sense of disembodiment she feels in comparison to other people, which she emphasizes through relating to various animals. The project is inspired by confessional poets such as Sylvia Plath and Richard Siken, as well as the work of contemporary songwriters such as Phoebe Bridgers and Adrianne Lenker, all of whom explore the relationships they strive to have but feel are just out of their grasp.