Short stories, American -- 21st century

Overview

"All We Are is a collection of short stories that explores the emotional response of individuals to their own trials." --Abstract.

Overview "'Animal Bones and other stories,' a collection of short fiction, explores the reverberations of loss and the strength it takes to rebuild in the aftermath. In "Lake Monster," a precocious eight-year-old girl and a grieving father find themselves linked in strange rotation around a prison and a polluted town lake. In "What Is Left," a newly retired man discovers a familiar kinship with the remains from the three small towns that now sit under the county's reservoir. And in the title story,...

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"This collection of short stories uses gothic elements to explore human nature from a woman's perspective. At times melancholy, at times mysterious, the writer negotiates timeless subjects: strained family dynamics, old age, heartache, love, and loss." --Abstract.

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"A playful exploration of potential where personal experiences have been articulated and processed, in stories that stretch from the mundane to the magical." --Abstract.

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"Bodysuits, a linked short story collection in progress, explores how influences such as food, dance, cultural mores, and relationships can shape body image, and how body image can inform sexuality, self-love, and self-loathing. All of the stories feature characters connected by blood or happenstance." --Abstract.

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This collection of short stories explores themes of longing and loss. Through characters who struggle with obsession, identity, and guilt, these stories point toward intersections between sexuality, desire, and taboo.--Abstract.

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"This collection of short stories attempts to explore the experiences of several characters of varying genders and age groups in their unique struggle to understand themselves and their places in the world. These stories deal with the complicated relationships of parents and children, the internal battles fought with mental illness, and the complex emotions of love and loss." --Abstract.

Overview "The characters in this collection are preoccupied with loss. Some are led by their attempts to avoid it and some are trying to pick up the pieces after it. A widow tries to make ends meet by entering her daughter into a talent contest. A man goes to extreme lengths to keep his girlfriend happy. A washed-up celebrity tries to recapture his former glory. All are locked in a fight with the fact that everything is temporary. A secondary focus for these stories is the tension between the...

Overview "This thesis is a collection of short fiction. Each story included features a male protagonist attempting to grapple with a major pivot point in his life, regardless of whether or not he is aware of it at the time. The men in these stories are all somewhat young, but they are each coming to terms with the loss of very different portions of their youths. Further, these stories attempt to investigate the ways in which humans often use "games" to both respond to what is happening in other...

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These four short stories, featuring both male and female protagonists, examine the ways people are haunted by their realities when faced with misconceptions, either about themselves or others, and how they negotiate with their demons.--Abstract.

Overview "The following collection of short stories explores a group of Pakistani Muslims moving through the world. The stories are linked, but can also be read as stand alone pieces. My intention for this work is to tell some of the stories of the South Asian diaspora, and to explore the complexities of first generation Americans, Muslims who practice Islam at varying degrees, and Pakistanis from different class backgrounds. When these characters engage with one another, both kinship and conflict...

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"A collection of short stories focused on characters who find themselves slightly left of center." --Abstract.

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"The chief concern of this body of work is the function of memory as part of our daily lives. In the fleeting present moments of the characters investigated, I show how the memory of a place or a person tinges that moment. The purpose here is not to make claims or theorize about what memory is or how it functions, rather, it is to show how each of these characters copes with their past moving forward into their future." -- Abstract

Overview

"Mandatory is a collection of stories that revolve around a juvenile detention center in Colorado. While not every story takes place at the detention center, every character has a connection to it, whether that's through a son, a brother, a friend, a stranger, or their own past or future spent in incarceration." --Abstract.

Overview

Collection of nine short stories in which the theme of absence both unifies and distinguishes the stories, influencing the narratives in varying degrees: parents, communication, adulthood, requited love, and objects with sentimental value are examples of absences in effect. --Abstract.

Overview "Over the last three years, a number of people very dear to me have passed away. A dancer, a photographer, a Shakespearean double, a grandfather still shrouded in mystery. Each, in their own way, harbingers of untold stories. I realized, slowly, that a sense of peace could be found through small acts of translation. Memories became settings became characters both unfamiliar and comforting. I suppose, at its core, this collection is an exploration of loss. But I have come to view it more as a...

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"Serving Face explores sexuality, gender identity, and kink culture in a variety of forms, with particular focus on gender play and queer identity...While not every story is overtly sexual in nature, they all touch on important aspects of queer or LGBT+ identity and culture. The characters vary in demographics, gender, sexuality, and race, but they are all unified in how they come to express non-normative sexuality and gender." --Abstract.

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"What is more important: being good or trying to be? The characters in these 10 stories struggle with that question one way or another as the systems they either willingly choose or are forced into push down on them even further. Family, religion and community can all empower people to rise above their current standings, but these stories explore what happens when the dynamic moves in the other direction. At what point does individual desire trump safety and surety?" --Abstract.

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The following short stories are loosely linked in that they focus on people with flaws. Inspiration has been drawn from the traditions of magical realism and gothic fiction.--Abstract.

Overview "In this collection of short fiction, I explore morality, sexuality, and existence through the eyes of children. These stories seek to understand the flash bulb memories that often form a kind of personal mythos we unconsciously adhere to. While adult perceptions are on the periphery, these stories center on the child's view of the world, be it their own, or a distorted presentation passed down to them by the adults in their lives. There is a feeling of danger that surrounds these stories...