Date of Award
8-1-2026
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Hoffman, Dustin
Abstract
Saltwater Saints is a collection of interconnected stories exploring grief, family trauma, masculinity, and mental health. Drawing on literary minimalism, auto-fiction, stream-of-consciousness, and cinematic elements, the collection experiments with narrative perspective and nonlinear chronology through the recurring themes of water, memory, and redemption. Set across the landscapes of Southern California, the Midwest, Northeast, and New Orleans, these stories centrally follow two siblings as they struggle to reconcile their collective trauma by escaping modernity through the act of surfing.
Access
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