Astronomical Dawn

Astronomical Dawn is a poetry collection, but also a collection of memories, a journey through the night, and a reckoning that has been a long time coming. 

In the present moment, I find myself approaching a new stage of light. A new stage of life, too, but it's more about freedom than age. I'm standing on the other side of 10 grueling years of trauma, loss, and the perpetual horror of living in the teenage mind. For the first time, I've begun to see it clearly. The pages blur together. The dark times mix with the light. 

This poetry collection aims to capture this moment, this contradictory point of existence, when you can see the dark and the light, the past and the present, all together at once. I've included poetry from ages 7 through 22 (including my middle school poetry, transcribed exactly as written, so take that as you will). Earlier works are set against a lighter backdrop. Middle works are set against a dark backdrop. Modern works are set against a lighter backdrop once again. The narrative is linear, but not completely. We travel through seven stages of astronomical light, moving through evening, twilight, nighttime, and eventually arriving at the break of day, where two things become clear: 

There is hope. And the sun will rise again.

About the Author

About the Sweetland Minor in Writing 

This collection was created as a Capstone Project for the Sweetland Minor in Writing at the University of Michigan. This work would not be possible without the help of the amazing lecturers and professors who run this amazing program. To learn more about the minor in writing, you can check out the minor in writing homepage. 

To all the wonderful people who made this possible, thank you!! I could not have done it without you.

T Hetzel was my main project consultant and has been my biggest supporter and source of encouragement over the past three years. T got me into the world of multimedia craft, and I cannot thank her enough for her valuable insights and enthusiasm for writing. 

Laura Kaishke was my second consultant and provided invaluable feedback on various new poems, especially those written in the fall of 2025. 

My Capstone instructor, April Conway, helped guide and shape the Capstone creation process and provided support the whole way through. 

Julie Babcock and Ryan McCarty taught other writing classes that I took at my time at the University of Michigan, and their influences made a lasting impact.