Abstract

Community is often defined by the familial or residential relationships we have, such as family, neighbors or coworkers. But there is another vital and often unobserved community among strangers. These relationships are often haphazard, temporary relationships formed in a moment of necessity—customers trapped in a convenience store by a storm, orphaned runaway teenagers who band together for safety on the streets, miners trapped in the rubble of a collapsed mine, etc. These communities are spontaneous and often undefined, but have the potential to reveal more about our insecurities, reflexes, and emotional capacities than almost any other relationship. For many, they are the catalysts for transformation, epiphany and hope. The stories in this short fiction collection illustrate characters, settings and tensions that revolve around the formation, rejection or elevation of these vibrant and unfamiliar communities.

Degree

MFA

College and Department

Humanities; English

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/