Of Moonshine and Water

Of Moonshine and Water is a hybrid genre collection comprised of linked series poetry. This collection addresses the sinister nature of domestic and sexual violence in its various forms and disguises, especially as in connection to alcohol and opioid addiction. The opioid crisis is currently having a devastating effect on the United States. This collection explores the ways in which addiction affects the family unit as well as non-familial intimate relationships. The idea of generational trauma is also deconstructed, addressing the question of that which is inherited between generations through nature and through nurture. The juxtaposition of the titular substances of moonshine and water is echoed throughout the individual pieces, which explore the idea of poison versus antidote through effect of trauma on the body and the acknowledgement of seemingly 'healing' substances, such as opioid medications, as even more lethal in their obscurity. As a collection, Of Moonshine and Water is intended to contribute to the dialogues of violence and addiction, especially as relative to the evolving experience of American womanhood.