Date of Award

6-2011

Document Type

Campus Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

English/Creative Writing

First Advisor

Askold Melnyczuk

Second Advisor

John Fulton

Third Advisor

Shaun O'Connell

Abstract

What are the tethers of familial responsibility? Mother, father, daughter, son; but also cousin, uncle, aunt, step-brother, family friend, girlfriend, niece. Caretakers and charges, both unwilling and chosen, populate the stories of my thesis project.

This collection of short stories addresses domestic binds, both coveted and detested. The stories are set in the Bay State, in old mill towns and defunct railroad stops, struggling developments dotted with gambrels, beachfronts and coastal landscapes. The families within are often sprawling and push and pull at each other as they both reject and relish in their roles; the lovers do the same, running from and returning to each other, as they struggle with breaking habitual--and comfortable--behavior and circumstances. The conversations throughout the stories address the surface level contact that belies the deeper levels of emotion and meaning when people cannot express their wants, desires, and secrets upfront.

Comments

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