Advisor(s)
Kerry Madden-Lunsford
Committee Member(s)
Jim Braziel
Rebecca Bach
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
1-27-2026
Degree Name
Master of Arts in English (MAE)
School
College of Arts and Sciences
Department
Arts & Humanities
Abstract
BRIGHT EYES AND THE KINFOLK ARIEL COCHRAN MASTER OF ARTS IN ENGLISH – CREATIVE WRITING ABSTRACT Bright Eyes and The Kinfolk is a historical fiction set in the pre-Civil War South that pays homage to Western media including, but not limited to, Gunsmoke, The Virginian, The Rifleman, Two Mules For Sister Sara, and Tombstone. The story follows the enslaved Dahomey (modern Benin) African Tina Jones who is in search of Uyi, her younger brother that was recently sold off from the Jones plantation in Mobile, Alabama. With a lead pointing to the state of Texas, Tina sets out west and along the way meets the mysterious Monte and his associate Bo. These two men are part of an underground mercenary gang known as “The Kinfolk.” Through perseverance and grit, Tina is taken under the gang’s wing and is galloped away into unexpected freedom and an unknown future. Keywords: African American, American South, pre-Civil War, cowboys, action, historical fiction
Keywords
action;African American;American South;cowboys;historical fiction;pre-Civil War
ProQuest ID
Recommended Citation
Cochran, Ariel Aileen, "Bright Eyes And The Kinfolk" (2026). ETDs from 2020-2029. 130.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-2020s/130
