TY - JOUR TI - Lone star DO - https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/T37W6GJG PY - 2018 AB - Lone Star is a novel about high school seniors on the US—Mexico Border, and a Central American refugee who enters into their circle of friends and upends all their lives. Using the Dean’s Graduate Research grant, I traveled to El Paso and Ciudad Juárez in January 2018 to meet with local writers, activists, and students to discuss my project and their own experiences. Over the course of my research, I have adapted this novel to better accommodate the wide range of stories present on the border. By examining one selected year through several points of view, I seek to place together multiple truths about a place where the personal and political are inextricably merged. This thesis presents the first two of five planned sections and will be expanded extensively following graduation. A broad story with an intimate focus, Lone Star tackles complicated and timely topics: migration, sexuality, mental health, and religion, as well as friendship, love, and family. It is ultimately about human connection and the necessity of reaching past borders to maintain relationships and raise up those who make a difference in our lives. KW - Creative Writing LA - eng ER -