This project is a novel-in-stories that continues of the development of the \"dirt spec\" aesthetic--a form of speculative fiction centered on the round portrayal of lower-class characters. The novel is comprised of series of interlocking stories that center on the denizens of a trailer park as they have run-ins with ditch wizards, rich exploitative magicians, and other supernatural phenomena. This book is based on and includes my short story, \"Dirt Road Magic,\" which won the Writers of the Future award in 2019. That story was about a boy from the trailer park who finds out that the magic his mentor is teaching is addictive.
","abstract_html":"<p>This project is a novel-in-stories that continues of the development of the "dirt spec" aesthetic--a form of speculative fiction centered on the round portrayal of lower-class characters. The novel is comprised of series of interlocking stories that center on the denizens of a trailer park as they have run-ins with ditch wizards, rich exploitative magicians, and other supernatural phenomena. This book is based on and includes my short story, "Dirt Road Magic," which won the Writers of the Future award in 2019. That story was about a boy from the trailer park who finds out that the magic his mentor is teaching is addictive. </p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Callahan, Carrie"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts (MFA)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"English and Theatre","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:00Z","subjects":["Dirt Spec","fiction","novel","SFF","short story","story cycle"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2021 Carrie Callahan"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/691","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Callahan, Carrie"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English and Theatre"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Dirt Spec","fiction","novel","SFF","short story","story cycle"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2021 Carrie Callahan"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/691"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This project is a novel-in-stories that continues of the development of the \"dirt spec\" aesthetic--a form of speculative fiction centered on the round portrayal of lower-class characters. The novel is comprised of series of interlocking stories that center on the denizens of a trailer park as they have run-ins with ditch wizards, rich exploitative magicians, and other supernatural phenomena. This book is based on and includes my short story, \"Dirt Road Magic,\" which won the Writers of the Future award in 2019. That story was about a boy from the trailer park who finds out that the magic his mentor is teaching is addictive.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/PDF"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Dirt Road Magic"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Callahan, Carrie"],"dc:description.abstract":["This project is a novel-in-stories that continues of the development of the \"dirt spec\" aesthetic--a form of speculative fiction centered on the round portrayal of lower-class characters. The novel is comprised of series of interlocking stories that center on the denizens of a trailer park as they have run-ins with ditch wizards, rich exploitative magicians, and other supernatural phenomena. This book is based on and includes my short story, \"Dirt Road Magic,\" which won the Writers of the Future award in 2019. That story was about a boy from the trailer park who finds out that the magic his mentor is teaching is addictive.
"],"dc:format":["application/PDF"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/691"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2021 Carrie Callahan"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["Dirt Spec","fiction","novel","SFF","short story","story cycle"],"dc:title":["Dirt Road Magic"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English and Theatre"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:00Z"}