This dissertation is comprised of seven works of short fiction that revolve around contemporary life in the Upper Midwest and a nonfiction critical preface that illustrates authors creative concerns and influences in writing. The seven stories are united recurring characters and settings, a sense of fictional realism and attention to place-based identity, as well as a balance between comedic and dramatic situations that reflect the emotional concerns of women between the ages of eighteen and thirty, including themes of family, romance, individualism, escape, and grief. The collection is influenced by the work of Stuart Dybek, Tim O'Brien, Elizabeth Strout, Melissa Bank, and Garrison Keillor in terms of structure, character, image, and setting.'
Middle West--Fiction, Short stories, American--21st century, English Language and Literature
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