2020 Theses Master's

Stories We Tell Of the River

Waters, Nora

Stories We Tell of the River is a collection of prints, photographs, interview transcripts, and creative non-fiction essays. It is autobiographical in nature exploring subjectivity through memoir style prose and interviews with an intimate group of narrators. This piece unearths relationships to the Milwaukee River as a way to critically engage with the cities racially segregated landscape. Through intersubjective encounters, Stories We Tell of the River seeks to implicate the author herself as well as whiteness and privilege. This piece asserts that there is no neutral position, no empty space, and no unbiased language. It is an urgent invitation to tremble what may be considered fixed and to see, recognize, and reckon with ourselves.

Keywords: Space, Race, Segregation, Whiteness, Environmental Justice, Milwaukee, Oral History, Intersubjectivity