Date of Graduation

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (MFA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

English

Advisor/Mentor

Jensen, Toni

Committee Member

Brock, Geoffrey

Second Committee Member

Larson, Jane

Keywords

memory; trauma; migration; womanhood; Nigeria; diasporic spaces

Abstract

Will The Demons Follow (and Other Stories) is a collection of interconnected short stories that examines memory, trauma, migration, and womanhood across Nigerian and diasporic spaces. Set in both Nigeria and the United States, the stories move between villages, cities, and immigrant communities, presenting characters whose lives are shaped by cultural expectations, spiritual beliefs, family authority, and personal longing. Through multiple narrative voices, the collection considers how the past continues to shape the present. Characters struggle with family conflict, religious pressure, sexual violence, and the psychological burdens carried across borders. In the title story, “Will The Demons Follow?”, the narrator reflects on encounters with men who appear as sources of comfort but gradually reveal themselves as harmful forces in her life. Even after leaving Nigeria, the emotional and spiritual fears tied to these experiences remain present, raising questions about whether distance can free someone from the past. Other stories portray different moments of female experience: a priestess who defies tradition in order to protect her forbidden children, young women caught within systems of exploitation, and immigrants attempting to rebuild their identities in unfamiliar environments. Across the collection, dreams, memories, and spiritual interpretations blur the line between psychological trauma and supernatural belief. Taken together, the stories examine how women attempt to reclaim agency while navigating inherited beliefs, social pressure, and personal trauma. The collection presents migration not simply as physical movement but as an emotional and psychological journey in which memory, fear, and identity continue to travel with those who seek new beginnings.

Download

Share

COinS