Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2020

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Creative Writing

First Advisor

Dr. Christopher Carmona

Second Advisor

Dr. Britt Haraway

Third Advisor

Dr. George T. Díaz

Abstract

This collection of short stories depict life moments for people that are connected through the city of Peñitas, Texas. This manuscript begins as an origin story for the city of Peñitas. According to local historians both in the past and in present times, the city of Peñitas was founded by a priest and five other Spaniards. This idea is integrated into the storyline but with a focus on the impact of a young girl, Tala. She suffers immensely through the actions of a group she refers to as the Long Beards. She has to go through a series of discovery in order to discover her purpose. My goal for Pebblechild is to portray a magical interpretation of life in South Texas through the incorporation of creative elements that also pay homage to factual tribes that inhabited the Rio Grande Valley Area.

Reading Pebblechild is like traveling through a time machine. It begins in an ancient era where humans and supernatural forces roam the land. It proceeds to time warp to the 1990’s and then shifts to capturing moments during the 2000’s. The manuscript concludes in present day with Takoda, a descendent of Tala. He unlocks his powers throughout the plot which leads him in the direction of finding the hero within him. After he receives his powers, Tala returns and begins to assemble her descendants with the intention of reestablishing a new safeguard around the city of Peñitas.

Comments

Copyright 2020 Brenda Ochoa. All Rights Reserved.

https://go.openathens.net/redirector/utrgv.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/pebblechild/docview/2424064704/se-2?accountid=7119

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