47 torrin a. greathouse
In This Chapter
Author Background
torrin a. greathouse is an American transgender, cripple-punk poet and essayist. greathouse is known for her impactful poetry exploring themes of identity, gender, and trauma.
greathouse’s poetry often delves into personal experiences of being transgender, grappling with issues of dysphoria, self-discovery, and acceptance. Her work is characterized by its raw emotional depth, vivid imagery, and lyrical language. greathouse is celebrated for their ability to capture the complexities of gender identity and the transgender experience with nuance and sensitivity.
Education and Career
greathouse holds an MFA in Poetry from the University of Mississippi, where she received the John and Renée Grisham Fellowship in Creative Writing. Her academic background informs her poetic practice, as she draws upon literary theory, cultural studies, and personal experience to inform her exploration of gender and identity in her work.
greathouse teaches in the Rainier Writing Workshop, which is the low-residency MFA program at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, and she lives in Minneapolis.
Published Works
greathouse’s poetry has been featured in various literary publications, including Poetry magazine, Ploughshares, The Missouri Review, The New Republic, and The Kenyon Review, among others. She has also published the collections DEED (Wesleyan University Press, 2024) and Wound from the Mouth of a Wound (Milkweed Editions, 2020), which won the Ballard Spahr Prize for Poetry and the 2022 Kate Tufts Discovery Award, as well as two chapbooks, boy/girl/ghost (TAR Chapbook Series, 2018) and There Is a Case that I Am (Damaged Goods, 2017).
Awards and Recognition
greathouse’s poetry has received widespread acclaim and recognition within the literary community. She has been awarded prestigious honors such as the Discovery/Boston Review Poetry Prize and the Gulf Coast Poetry Prize. Her work has been featured in numerous literary journals and anthologies, contributing to their growing reputation as a prominent voice in contemporary poetry.
greathouse is also the recipient of grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Effing Foundation for Sex-Positivity, The Ragdale Foundation, the University of Arizona Poetry Center, and the Poetry Foundation.
Activism
In addition to her poetry, greathouse is actively involved in transgender advocacy and activism. She uses her platform as a writer and speaker to raise awareness about transgender issues, advocate for transgender rights, and promote greater visibility and acceptance for transgender individuals. Greathouse’s activism extends beyond the page, as she actively engages with communities and organizations working towards social change and equality.
torrin a. greathouse’s work as a poet and transgender activist has made a significant impact, both within the literary world and in broader conversations about gender, identity, and social justice. She continues to inspire readers and advocate for marginalized communities through her powerful writing and advocacy efforts.
Answer the following true or false questions to test your knowledge of torrin a. greathouse’s life and career.
Follow the Poetry Foundation link to read torrin a. greathouse’s poem “Medusa with the Head of Perseus” published in Poetry Magazine in October 2019: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/150926/medusa-with-the-head-of-perseus
-
- How does greathouse reframe the myth of Medusa in this poem? What elements of the original myth are retained, and what new interpretations or perspectives are introduced?
- What is the significance of the poem’s title, “Medusa with the Head of Perseus”? How does this title challenge traditional power dynamics and gender roles?
- How does greathouse explore themes of empowerment and agency in the poem, particularly in relation to Medusa’s reclaiming of her narrative and identity?
- Consider the poem’s imagery and symbolism, such as the mirror, the stone, and the severed head. How do these elements contribute to the poem’s themes and overall impact?
- How does greathouse use language and poetic devices such as metaphor, allusion, and repetition to convey Medusa’s experience and emotions?
- Reflect on the poem’s treatment of violence and revenge. How does greathouse navigate these themes, and what commentary does the poem offer on cycles of abuse and trauma?
- Discuss the significance of Medusa’s transformation from victim to survivor in the poem. How does this transformation challenge stereotypes and expectations surrounding victims of violence?
- Consider the poem’s feminist themes and its engagement with issues of gender, power, and patriarchy. How does greathouse critique societal norms and expectations through Medusa’s perspective?
- How does the poem explore the concept of gaze and the power dynamics inherent in acts of looking and being looked at? How does Medusa reclaim her agency in relation to the gaze of others?
- In what ways does greathouse’s poem invite readers to reconsider and reimagine familiar myths and narratives through a contemporary and intersectional lens? What insights or perspectives does the poem offer on the enduring relevance of ancient myths in modern society?
Click this YouTube link to hear torrin a. greathouse read her poem “Hapnophobia or the Fear of Being Touched” from her debut collection Wound from the Mouth of a Wound: https://youtu.be/nK9m4hqRD4M
- How does greathouse explore the theme of touch in the poem? What emotions or sensations are associated with touch, and how do they contribute to the speaker’s experience of hapnophobia?
- Consider the poem’s structure and form. How does greathouse use line breaks, stanza breaks, and spacing to convey the speaker’s feelings of vulnerability and isolation?
- Reflect on the significance of the title, “Hapnophobia or the Fear of Being Touched.” How does the title inform your understanding of the poem, and what expectations does it create for the reader?
- How does greathouse use sensory imagery to evoke the physical and emotional sensations of touch in the poem? What role do metaphors and similes play in conveying the speaker’s experience?
- Discuss the poem’s exploration of trauma and its impact on the speaker’s relationship to touch. How does trauma shape the speaker’s fear of physical contact, and what coping mechanisms do they employ to navigate this fear?
- Consider the intersection of gender and touch in the poem. How does the speaker’s experience of hapnophobia intersect with broader cultural expectations and norms surrounding masculinity and vulnerability?
- Reflect on the poem’s treatment of intimacy and connection. How does hapnophobia affect the speaker’s ability to form meaningful relationships, both romantic and platonic?
- Explore the theme of healing and recovery in the poem. How does the speaker confront their fear of touch, and what strategies do they employ to work through their trauma?
- Consider the poem’s broader social and political implications. How does hapnophobia reflect larger issues of consent, boundaries, and bodily autonomy in society?
- Reflect on your own experiences with touch and physical intimacy. How does the poem resonate with your own feelings and perceptions of touch, and what insights does it offer into the complexities of human connection?
Follow this link to Poets.org to read torrin a. greathouse’s poem “Phlebotomy, as Told by the Blood,” originally published in Poem-a-Day on May 6, 2019, by the Academy of American Poets: https://poets.org/poem/phlebotomy-told-blood
- How does greathouse use the metaphor of phlebotomy (the practice of drawing blood) to explore themes of identity, transition, and transformation in the poem?
- Consider the poem’s structure and form. How does Greathouse use enjambment, repetition, and imagery to evoke the experience of phlebotomy and its emotional resonance?
- Reflect on the significance of the poem’s title, “Phlebotomy, as Told by the Blood.” How does the title inform your understanding of the poem, and what expectations does it create for the reader?
- How does greathouse use language and poetic devices to convey the physical and emotional sensations of bloodletting in the poem? What role does sensory imagery play in evoking the visceral experience of the body?
- Discuss the poem’s exploration of gender identity and bodily autonomy. How does the act of bloodletting serve as a metaphor for the speaker’s journey of self-discovery and self-acceptance?
- Consider the symbolism of blood in the poem. How does blood function as a symbol of life, vitality, and resilience, as well as a marker of identity and difference?
- Reflect on the poem’s engagement with themes of medicalization and pathologization of transgender bodies. How does greathouse critique medical systems and societal norms that seek to regulate and control transgender experiences?
- Explore the theme of reclaiming one’s narrative and asserting agency in the face of marginalization and oppression. How does the speaker assert their own identity and autonomy in the poem?
- Consider the poem’s intersectional approach to gender identity and transition. How do the speaker’s experiences as a transgender person intersect with other aspects of their identity, such as race, class, and disability?
- Reflect on your own interpretations and emotional responses to the poem. How does “Phlebotomy, as Told by the Blood” challenge and expand your understanding of gender, identity, and the human experience?
Sources
Academy of American Poets. “torrin a. greathouse.” https://poets.org/poet/torrin-greathouse
greathouse, torrin a. “Hapnophobia or the Fear of Being Touched.” YouTube, uploaded by Ours Poetica, 29 Oct. 2021, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK9m4hqRD4M
greathouse, torrin a. “Medusa with the Head of Perseus.” Poetry Magazine, October 2019, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/poems/150926/medusa-with-the-head-of-perseus
greathouse, torrin a. “Phlebotomy, as Told by the Blood.” Poem-a-Day. The Academy of American Poets, 6 May 2019, https://poets.org/poem/phlebotomy-told-blood
torrin a. greathouse website. https://www.torringreathouse.com/
The cripple punk movement is a social movement regarding physical disability rights that rejects inspirational portrayals of those with physical disabilities on the sole basis of their physical disability.
A myth is a traditional story, especially one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
Imagery is visual symbolism, or figurative language that evokes a mental image or other kinds of sense impressions.
Symbols take the form of words, sounds, gestures, ideas, or visual images and are used to convey other ideas and beliefs. For example, a red octagon is a common symbol for "STOP"; on maps, blue lines often represent rivers; and a red rose often symbolizes love and compassion.
A metaphor is a figure of speech that, for rhetorical effect, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another. It may provide clarity or identify hidden similarities between two different ideas. Metaphors are usually meant to create a likeness or an analogy.
An allusion is an implied or indirect reference to a person, event, thing, or a part of another text.
Intersectional feminism acknowledges that there is an inseparability of race, gender, sexuality, and disability (as well as other aspects of identity). It shows that different kinds of prejudice can be amplified in different ways when put together. This means that not all women face the same amounts of prejudice or discrimination.
A theme is a central topic, subject, or message within a narrative.
In poetry, a stanza is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or indentation.
A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g., as brave as a lion, crazy like a fox ).
In poetry, enjambment is incomplete syntax at the end of a line; the meaning 'runs over' or 'steps over' from one poetic line to the next, without punctuation. Lines without enjambment are end-stopped.
