Tales from Respite, OH

Author

Jake Demers, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Abstract

Tales from Respite, OH is a collection of short stories set in a fictional town, in my home state of Ohio, where they are left to struggle with addiction and attraction, with mental illness and an undercurrent of murder. I like to think I’ve learned a little something from the symbolism that abounds in myth and legend. My collection has its own recurring warnings—cigarettes and broken doors warn of coming doom, while night skies and dancing speak to the possibility of happiness. If I speak to religion and religious trauma, I hope it is more evenhanded than it first appears. If nothing else though, I hope my thesis encompasses the human spirit in some way—its capacity for cruelty and self-defeat as well as the strength found in community and connection. Failing that, I hope at least to return to some small part of the world an appreciation for diner food and memory.

Advisor

Robin Becker

Committee Member

Geoffrey Herbach

Date of Degree

2023

Language

english

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Program of Study

Creative Writing

Department

English

College

Humanities and Social Sciences

Recommended Citation

Demers, Jake. (2023). Tales from Respite, OH [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1353/

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.