Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Creative Writing and Publishing

Committee Chair and Members

Emily Lowe, Chair

Robin Hemley

Keywords

Adventure, Fantasy, Fiction, Lyrical, Magic, Travel

Abstract

This thesis is a linked short story collection about a character named Thom, told in first person. In 52 short pieces, Thom travels around different places on a seemingly aimless journey. It is almost a mix of a “man goes on a journey” & a “stranger comes to town.” The 52 short stories are structured like a shuffled deck of cards, with four distinct suits. Each suit has a minor story arc for Thom. In Hearts, he’s on a search for love. In Diamonds, he’s on a search for treasure. In Spades, he’s on a search for enlightenment. In Clubs, he’s on a search for adventure. What he finds or doesn’t find is part of these four “mini-movements” that are mixed about. In the beginning of the collection, Thom loses a car. In the end, the car comes back. In between, there is magic, absurdity, mythology, surrealism & a lot of realism. This collection is very concerned with the difference between what’s real & what’s not & what’s the grey area. The writing is direct yet filled with poetry & philosophy. It’s playful, whimsical, humorous, imaginative, investigative, etc. etc. The average “story” length is a couple pages with some shorter, some longer. It’s structured so that you can read “in-order” or skip around. It is based on my personal experiences & stories people have told me but is meant to be read as an “everybody’s journey.” There’s an idea that no matter what you chase, no matter how you change, the ending is the same for all of us. That idea is teased with each suit & comes together more when all of the cards are read together.

Download

Share

COinS