Have You Eaten? Stories

This creative dissertation titled Have You Eaten? Stories, is a collection of fiction written, workshopped, and revised at Georgia State University for a PhD in English with a concentration in Creative Writing, fiction. These stories are thematically linked through the use of food as elements of the narrative and as narrative technique. They also draw heavily on academic research in folktales, fairy tales, mythology, fabulism, magical realism, speculative fiction, ecocriticism, and gender and sexuality studies. In addition, the author draws inspiration from her childhood and cultural background; she was born and raised in Taichung, Taiwan and grew up with a rich oral tradition and deep appreciation for the power of food in community and storytelling. Inspired by authors such as Laura Esquivel, Italo Calvino, Helen Oyeyemi, Kelly Link, and Karen Russell, the author aims to represent a multiracial, multicultural identity in form and content. In terms of craft, this dissertation proves the effectiveness (and pleasures) of food as literary device.