Challenging Interpretations of Disability and Incarnation in Vassar Miller's Poetry of Connection

Abstract

Abstract: Vassar Miller, former Poet Laureate of Texas, views the work of poetry in incarnational terms, comparing the Word made flesh to the poet's work connecting words to reality. When Miller's interpreters explore this connection, however, they emphasize her disabled body. Addressing Miller's objections, I shift attention from Miller's body to her words. By engaging critical analysis from the field of disability studies, I first draw out Miller's struggle with disability language and rhetoric. Then, using theological reflection, I showcase Miller's incarnational sense of the power and limits of words to make connections, as God's Word became one of us.