The Wet WoundThe Wet Wound

"The Wet Wound: An Elegy is a collection of lyric essays that discuss grief and overcoming loss. Inspired by the period of grief Norris went through in the wake of her father's death, the collection approaches death from a head-on perspective, arguing that the best way to take care of a wound, both physically and emotionally, is to open it up. It uses a medical lens to discuss grief. The essays approach the narrative through the investigation of body preservation, the history of skin grafts, or a deep dive into physical pain, but they all examine how Norris carries this fundamental loss. The text pushes against the stereotypical notion of "letting go" and "moving on." The Wet Wound: An Elegy unpacks the question of "what happens when, instead of following steps prescribed by those outside of loss, we let ourselves dwell in the grief?""--