Keeping in touch, 2021

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Gre

Identifier: b7930356

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection:

The collection consists of theses written by students enrolled in the Monmouth University graduate English program. The holdings are primarily bound print documents that were submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for the Master of Arts or Master of Fine Arts degrees.

From the Collection:

Students become eligible to pursue the Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.) degree if they have obtained a Master of Arts (M.A.) in English from Monmouth University and demonstrate a proficiency for creative writing through a thesis or equivalent work.

From the Collection:

After completing their 30-credit M.A. in English with a Creative Writing concentration, Monmouth’s M.F.A. students take an additional 18 credits of intensive creative writing study that includes the completion of a book-length Creative Thesis.

From the Collection:

During the fall 2022 semester (in instances where the requisite waivers were received from consenting student authors), the Monmouth University Library, together with the University's Graduate School and Wayne D. McMurray School of Humanities and Social Sciences, began providing open access to select full-text digital versions of current theses and dissertations through links to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global website in the Library's Online Public Access Catalog. Links to these open access digital publications can also be found in the "External Documents" section under any conforming titles that are listed among the holdings itemized in the collection inventory for this finding aid.

Dates

Creation: 2021

Creator

Green, Mallory A. (Mallory Anne) (1997- ) (Author, Person)
Gilvarry, Alex (1981- ) (Thesis advisor, Person)

Language of Materials

From the Collection:

Unless noted otherwise at the resource component level, the language of the collection materials is English.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research use. Access is by appointment only.

Access to the collection is confined to the Monmouth University Library and is subject to patron policies approved by the Monmouth University Library.

Collection holdings may not be borrowed through interlibrary loan.

Research appointments are scheduled by the Monmouth University Library Archives Collections Manager (723-923-4526). A minimum of three days advance notice is required to arrange a research appointment for access to the collection.

Patrons must complete a Researcher Registration Form and provide appropriate identification to gain access to the collection holdings. Copies of these documents will be kept on file at the Monmouth University Library.

Extent

1 Items (print book) : 74 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpt]

The following manuscript is a work of fiction that has been in progress over the course of the past six months. It began when taking a Fiction Seminar course (EN 611) with Alex Gilvarry this past fall semester, 2021, as a rather straightforward workshop piece exploring grief, addiction, life and death....

The story is broken into ten chapters, each offering one or several vignettes or memories experienced by the characters. My main goal in doing this was to allow flexibility among the characters and organize their memories and scenes in a way that will be easy for readers to follow. Though the piece follows a certain chronology, starting with an introduction to Vera's addiction and ending with a moment of clarity about it, there are many memories involving her husband Dave. Though he's not present physically, he lives on in Vera's memory through the experiences and anecdotes he left behind. The inclusion of her friend Candace's side story serves to show that there is a world living outside Vera's apartment, full of people living their own lives. Vera has a choice to move on with them or be held captive by her addiction....

"Keeping in Touch" at its core, to me, is a tale of survival and forgiveness. My only hope in the end is that readers will look upon Vera and her story with the affection and attention it took to create her.