‘‘I am not this, not here, this time’’: Claudia Emerson’s Infusion Suite as a Compelling Account of the Lived Experience of Cancer

Authors

  • Chris Foss University of Mary Washington

Keywords:

Claudia Emerson; cancer; infusion; quotidian moments; poetic sequence

Abstract

Claudia Emerson’s Infusion Suite section within her poetry collection Impossible Bottle is a significant contemporary literary representation of cancer. In this twelve-poem sequence, Emerson dispenses with the typical martial metaphors so often used to represent this lived experience. Instead, she focuses on more mundane everyday moments in a way that acknowledges and respects the humanity of all those at the treatment center—especially that of the patients. Emerson refuses to airbrush out the daunting, debilitating aspects of cancer, but she also preserves space for light and life.

Author Biography

Chris Foss, University of Mary Washington

Professor of English

University of Mary Washington

Published

2025-12-16

How to Cite

Foss, C. (2025). ‘‘I am not this, not here, this time’’: Claudia Emerson’s Infusion Suite as a Compelling Account of the Lived Experience of Cancer. Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, 14(4), 177–198. Retrieved from https://cjds.uwaterloo.ca/index.php/cjds/article/view/1299

Issue

Section

Articles