More than you were: Writing the death of an addict

‘More than you were: Writing the Death of an Addict’ is a PhD thesis divided into two parts: a critical component which examines how creative writing impacts individuals bereaved by addiction and a creative component, entitled More than you were, which, through poetry, explores my father’s fatal drug overdose and the grief that followed. The critical component is split into three parts. Part One introduces the concepts of grief and disenfranchised grief as well as stigma and stigma by association. Together, these initial chapters work to establish the unique needs of those bereaved by addiction. Part One also introduces the concept of expressive writing, explores how writing can be used as a therapeutic tool, and questions whether writing could benefit a new population: individuals bereaved by addition. Part Two presents a qualitative study which explores the impact creative writing has on individuals bereaved by addiction. The initial chapters explain the design of my research questions and research methodology, consider the therapeutic value of expressive writing versus creative writing and outline the development of the writing prompts used in my study. Part Two also draws conclusions from the study’s findings, discusses what academic and social contributions these findings might make and offers suggestions for future research. Part Three of the critical component considers how disenfranchised grief is represented in professional poetry, particularly in the work of Pascale Petit, Donte Collins and William Brewer as well as in my own collection, More than you were. Broadly, Part Three considers what poetry can offer to the academic, societal and poetic understandings of disenfranchised grief and reflects on my own writing, editing and publication process as both a poet and bereaved daughter. More than you were, my poetry collection and the creative component of this thesis, explores what it means to lose a father to a drug addiction and live on