Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Landing: On The Other Side, Marianita Escamilla

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Landing: On the Other Side a collection of essays that discuss one woman's struggle with the Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia (FM). The narratives are organized non-chronologically because the more pervasive effects of this chronic illness manifest in waves that do not follow a simple means of progression. Rather, FM's most powerful symptom is the highly variable pain strength coupled with its unpredictability.

The mass marketability of this text, as with other illness/disability narratives, lies in the universal message of prevailing against adversity. A person need not suffer from this illness or any ailment to comprehend the narrator's plight. While this …

The Ripening Of Mangos, Katherine Hoerth

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This project is a collection of poems which draw influence from Romantic, confessional, and post-modern poetry movements, and can most accurately be described as Confessionalistic, though they are resistant to categorization. The poems function to dismantle archetypal definitions of feminine identity, and instead aim to depict identity to be fluid and multifaceted.

The Ripening of Mangos is divided into four sections. The first section deconstructs the 'angel' or 'virgin' archetype, while the second deconstructs the 'monster' or 'whore' archetype. Section three includes voices of procreation, and functions to complicate the image of 'the mother.' The last section, Transplanting, shows gendered …

Sex At The Park: Stories From My Days With Ninfa, Dalel Serda

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This creative nonfiction manuscript chronicles the burgeoning relationship between the narrator and her subject, Ninfa—the folkloric, enduring and elusive Harlingen, Texas prostitute. This project aims to document the process of demystification the narrator undergoes as the women get to know each other. Furthermore, in the process of gathering the materials that will tell her subject’s story, the narrator attempts to tell the story about getting the story, about what led to this story and of what resulted. In sum, this work explores the often-blurry boundaries and complexities of what is inevitably a friendship.

Lvn: A Fiction, Jacqueline S. Gill

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This is a creative thesis, the first 87 pages of an original novel divided into 14 chapters. This story takes place along the Mexican-American border and has elements of humor, mystery, witchcraft, and murder. It is written in first person from the point of view of the main character, Matt. Matt's normal life begins to change when he becomes best friends with a flamboyantly gay hairdresser who introduces him to Celeste - a mother of four, Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), and a self proclaimed witch. Celeste practices the dark side of the craft; and when she feels the need for …

Lizards And Bugambilias, Jose A. Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This is a creative-writing thesis, a collection of poetry. The poems are divided into three sections, which share thematic content. In this collection, the poetry explores issues of place, family and identity, all closely tied to the geographic/cultural area of South Texas. The critical introduction explains both the organization of and the influences on the poems.

Mariguano, Juan Ochoa

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This book is in many ways autobiographical, but at the same time attempts to tell the story of the many silent characters that have long been omitted from most works on border life. By “silent characters” I am referring to those who operate on the margins of a marginalized society. The reader will be allowed to glimpse inside the life of a social group that values silence and indifference as basic survival skills.

It is this value on silence and indifference that have forced these stories to go unrecorded for so long. Aside from meeting my thesis requirements, it is …

All The Elephants Faced The Door: Fiction And Poetry, Stephanie B. Thome

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

All the Elephants Faced the Door is a collection of fiction and poetry. The first section, “The World is Nice to Butterflies,” is a collection of six short stories. The collection focuses on the Solis family. The family consists of six sisters and the stories follow their journey of falling in love, forming romantic relationships and the eventuality of marriage. The second half of my manuscript is composed of poems and is divided in three sections. The first, “The Stuff of the World is Love-Stuff,” is a sequence of love poems. The second section entitled, “Domestic Anxiety,” is a series …

The Red-Light District Of The Heart, Octavio Quintanilla Jr.

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This is a creative thesis, a collection of fifty-seven poems. The poems are divided thematically into four sections. Family, identity, and human relationships are some of the themes I write about. The critical introduction outlines the history of Chicano poetry and shows how my work fits within this context.

The Hollow Spot: A Collection Of Fiction, Jose Rene Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This is a creative thesis, specifically a collection of fourteen short stories and a critical introduction. Most of these stories showcase characters caught in times of change and turmoil. The critical introduction explores the influence that three contemporary writers, J. D. Salinger, Raymond Carver, and Michael Chabon, have had on my work. The purpose of this thesis is to provide an outlet for my creative energy.

Teisho Of A Tree In Light: A Collection Of Poems, Samuel Arizpe

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

No abstract provided.