The poems in Train Wrecks and Other Endeavors explore the relationship between individuals and their environments. The collection's thematic issues include loss, history, and the ways in which the characters affect and are affected by the landscape. Though the reoccurring thematic concerns deal primarily with characters' inability to connect in lasting ways with others, it is also a study in resiliency; by allowing the environment to serve as a reminder of the past, of losses, and of failures, the characters seek to mark their own legacies; in doing so, they are affirming their own claim to their lives. Similarly, they are equally claimed by the environments of which they are a part. It is these relationships and attempts at these relationships that highlight the tragedy of impermanence that the pieces continually explore. Ultimately, it is a study in the faith placed in human experiences and the human ability to persevere.
