Sponsor
Portland State University. Department of English
First Advisor
John Beer
Term of Graduation
Spring 2026
Date of Publication
7-2-2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) in Creative Writing
Department
English
Language
English
Subjects
Extraction, Land, Place, Witness
Physical Description
1 online resource (v, 53 pages)
Abstract
Atumpan: the talking drum is a poetic interrogation of the unseen structures and agents of violence and struggle that shape our modern world. This work serves as a musical and visual resonance for the quietly whispered world social-political structures and immigration; the stories and recurring struggle often ignored.
The collection engages themes of politics, industrial and biological extraction, environmental degradation, and the complexities of the immigrant identity. These poems merge personal history and archival / poetic documentary. Moving from the open pit mines of the motherland to the experimental work in blackout/erasure poetry, the work mainly explores how power carves itself into the very fabric of the land and the skin alike.
The diverse range of form choices in this work includes but is not limited to fragmentation, erasure, prose and other visual poetic forms. The collection mimics the rhythmic, unique and communicative force of the Atumpan Drums. Atumpan: the talking drum, captures, shapes, and frames a narrative that is deeply personal and urgently global.
Rights
© 2026 Richard Afriyie
In Copyright. URI: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/44976
Recommended Citation
Afriyie, Richard, "Atumpan: The Talking Drum" (2026). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 7151.