Walks in the parks
- WCU Author/Contributor (non-WCU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Lauren Elise Thomas (Creator)
- Institution
- Western Carolina University (WCU )
- Web Site: http://library.wcu.edu/
- Advisor
- Pamela Duncan
Abstract: This creative thesis consists of a collection of six short stories following the main character, Annabelle Jones, through the National Forests and Parks of Western North Carolina as she faces difficult life choices that will not only change life as she knows it, but also the lives of those around her. In her twenties and only a high school graduate, Annabelle finds herself settled into a quiet life revolving around family and friends, her art studio, and her job with the Mountain Research Station in Waynesville, North Carolina. Having applied for a scholarship through Mountain Research to study agriculture in Raleigh, and not thinking much of what decisions or leaps of faith she would have to make upon earning the scholarship, Annabelle discovers that, though she had convinced herself the life she led was good enough, she had been merely going through the motions of living since the death of her father four years ago. Then, as if the opportunity to attend college was not enough to rattle her, her boyfriend of seven years proposes marriage. Annabelle struggles through her fears of moving outside of her comfort zone by exploring the wonders of nature around her as she used to when her father was alive. On her quest for guidance, she learns the truth of what she really lost after her father’s death—her courage—and the encounters she makes and experiences she has in the parks and forests provoke her dormant confidence to take chances and live again. Fear is an emotion that can rule anyone’s life if we let it, as if grief, but through Annabelle’s journeys to overcome her fears and grief to reach for her dreams, Walks in the Parks aims to inspire readers to combat fear and find peace in their lives while also illuminate the identity of Western North Carolina’s social and environmental community as well as reveal to readers the sublime quality of North Carolina’s National Forests and Parks.
Walks in the parks
PDF (Portable Document Format)
356 KB
Created on 4/1/2015
Views: 950
Additional Information
- Publication
- Thesis
- Language: English
- Date: 2015
- Keywords
- Appalachian Studies, Connected Stories, Fiction, Short Story, Western Carolina, Writing
- Subjects
- Forest reserves -- North Carolina, Western -- Fiction
- Young women -- North Carolina, Western -- Fiction
- North Carolina, Western -- Fiction