South of Here

South of Here is a coming-of-age story that follows a group of teenage boys through their journey into adulthood. Set against the backdrop of rural northwestern Connecticut, the book delves into the challenges of coping with grief, addiction, and the weight of adult responsibilities. Through the eyes of the speaker, readers are taken on a journey of self-discovery and acceptance as they come to terms with their queerness and the complexities of their relationships with blood family while building a community of chosen family. South of Here explores the stories that shape our identities, whether we were there for them or not. And through it all, the speaker learns how to undead the dead and move forward in the face of loss and pain. South of Here is a testament to the resilience of youth and the power of community to heal and transform.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Fine Arts

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Creative Writing

Department dc:contributor.department

English

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Richards, Rachel Kotsrean

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• Queen, Khadijah

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Roy, Lucinda H.
• Vollmer, James M.

• Animal bodies
• queerness
• addiction
• transness
• sexuality
• rural
• grief
• pee
• boyhood
• coming of age
• masculinity

Statement dc:rights

• Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

vt_gsexam:37318

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115681