Keywords

Cuban American identity; Intergenerational memory; Coming-of-age

Abstract

ENTRE DOS MUNDOS (translated as “between two worlds”) explores the complexities of growing up as the eldest daughter in a Cuban American immigrant family and the tensions of navigating life between cultures. Set in Miami, the collection blends lyrical and prose poetry to examine cultural identity, diaspora, intergenerational memory, and the emotional landscape of young adulthood. Through personal narrative and historical context, ENTRE DOS MUNDOS traces the speaker’s coming-of-age amid the inherited stories of her family’s escape from Cuba and the lingering effects of displacement. The section “Yo” focuses on the psychological challenges of adolescence and early adulthood, reflecting on resilience, belonging, and self-understanding. “Ellos” turns outward, portraying the speaker’s family through intimate character studies that highlight humor, tenderness, and the everyday moments that define immigrant households. These pieces preserve the personalities, histories, and generational bonds that shaped the speaker’s formative years. Finally, “Nosotros” weaves personal experience with research on Cuban history and the broader immigrant experience, revealing the shared patterns of adversity, belonging, and collective memory across diasporic communities. This section contemplates solidarity among minorities facing displacement and cultural fragmentation, grounding the work in a wider social and historical framework. Throughout the collection, shifts in form mirror the complexities of identity, allowing for lyrical movement as well as the narrative depth offered by prose poetry. ENTRE DOS MUNDOS ultimately serves as both self-exploration and cultural reflection, offering an honest examination of what it means to belong, to inherit trauma and hope, and to carve out an identity within the Cuban American diaspora.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Greene, Kianna

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

College

College of Arts and Humanities

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Identifier

DP0053131

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