Abstract
This poetry manuscript aims to closely follow the mythical legacy and folklore of the Ivy-Holler family from their maternal origins in Tupelo, Mississippi until present day, reflecting deeply on working class identity in America. This work is done through a variety of forms/techniques and is specifically dedicated to narrative writing about characters based on living and deceased family members. Much of the information found in these poems are direct, firsthand memories of the author’s father, Edward J. Holler Jr., who volunteered to participate in a multitude of virtual interviews. The first half of the manuscript focuses primarily on the unconventional and somewhat secretive life of Ann Ivy Holler, or “Tupelo Granny” who was just fourteen years old when her father was killed in a defense plant, which led her mother to abandon her in Tupelo. In order to survive, Ann succumbed to marrying an older and abusive man, and by the age of sixteen, she had given birth to two children. Around 1949, she fled the situation without her children and left for Georgia. While this decision haunted her for the remainder of her life, this is where she started a new family with Edward Holler Sr., an electrician and WWII veteran. From here, the manuscript unfolds into a broader, historicizing, and humanizing portrayal of the Holler family, the author, and their specific experience.