Flowers for mama: an arts-based inquiry into continuing bonds

Uber, RobinLi (2023) Flowers for mama: an arts-based inquiry into continuing bonds. Masters thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

Within the global landscape of late-stage capitalism and ongoing pandemic, there is no shortage of losses to grieve. Grief and loss experts say that dedicating time to grief helps people better cope with loss better long term. This thesis is an example of bringing grief into a public context such as an academic thesis. Through this research I explored what it looks like to use arts-based narrative inquiry as an approach to continuing my relationship with my mother after her death. I conducted interviews with people who were close to my mom and then engaged with what I discovered through these interviews through creative writing. This thesis shares my reflections on how creative writing affected my felt relationship with my mom, the potential for continuing bonds with her, and the potential for the arts — in my case poetry, creative writing, sculpture, and community gathering — to help people make meaning through their grief.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	arts-based research; continuing bonds; finding meaning; grief and loss
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
MeSH Subjects:	F Psychiatry and Psychology > F02 Psychological Phenomena and Processes
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Social and Behavioral Science > Sustainable Communities
Date Deposited:	29 Jul 2026 20:32
Last Modified:	29 Jul 2026 20:32
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/6330

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