Light from a Strange and Unverifiable Source

This thesis is a book length collection of short stories. It features eight short stories, most of which generally fall into speculative and related genres, including quasi-historical fiction, ghost story, fiction of the weird, and others. The stories feature original characters as well as versions and send ups of figures from history, culture, and religion, such as Yiddish film actress Molly Picon, urban legend The Jersey Devil, the professional athletes of the National Hockey League, and religious characters Vashti and Esther from the Book of Esther. It deals with themes such as Judaism, diaspora, queerness, ecological and political collapse, isolation, coming of age, and the ability to understand oneself within the gaze of another.