Citizens of the Real World: Stories

This text is a collection of five stories. The first, “After the Fire,” concerns a man’s struggles to deal with the after effects of a devastating fire. The second, “War’s Playground,” is inspired by a WWII movement to transform war rubble into play equipment for children. The third, “The Eternal Life of Dogs,” revolves around a priest’s attempt to baptize dogs. The fourth, “Nostalgia’s End,” is a whimsical take on the current commodification of the artifacts of memory. The final story, “Citizens of the Real World,” involves a relationship between two young people of different social classes. The themes these stories explore, are, respectively: the lingering effects of trauma, the search for authenticity in a time of war, the conflict between ecclesiastical doctrine and spiritual conviction, the power and limits of memory, and finally the challenge of bridging class divides. These stories represent the creative synthesis of two years of literary study and technical practice. Advisers: Gerald Shapiro and Judith Slate