The guided and other trips, 2021

Item — Call Number: MU Thesis Qua

Identifier: b7930731

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

Qualiano, Michael B. (Michael Brian) (1994- ) (Author, Person)
Gilvarry, Alex (1981- ) (Thesis advisor, Person)

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) : 78 pages ; 8.5 x 11.0 inches (28 cm).

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Introduction [excerpt]

The Guided and Other Trips is the tenative title of the collection. I will continue to craft additional stories throughout the MFA, aiming for a completed manuscript for publication consideration. Each story is centered with a phyisical journey (Joyce to Long Island, Olivia to Saugerties, Benny to Philadelphia) that veers into the existential (Joyce in the midst of a mid-life crisis, Olivia facing the impending loss of her husband. Skye and Benny reckoning with their shared past and present). The initial impetus for the project was an attempt to write towards the unanswerable: why or how one loses faith in God, a relationship, or with themselves. During the initial drafting process, however, this question became distant from the tangible writing. The three stories this far seem to be grouped as a series of vignettes in which God, death, life, and more are examined in some capacity....

The creative process is one that is difficult to properly conceptualize. As a writer, many of your influences are not consciously present for the duration of the writing. With a degree of distance through a critical lens, much of the craft elements utilized in these stories are from years of creative writing coursework. I consider myself a lifelong student of the craft, continually reading, continually shaping my work to hopefully emulate some of the real innovators of the form.