The School of Creative Writing is pleased to congratulate Jess Goldman, MFA. Jess’ graduate thesis is a speculative graphic memoir entitled An Incoherent Body.
Jess Goldman (they/them) is an anti-Zionist Jewish writer, comics artist, and amateur puppeteer based on the traditional, unceded lands of the Sḵwxwú7mesh, Tsleil-waututh, and Xwméthkwyiem peoples. Their writing has been published in Maisonneuve, the CBC, and Room Magazine. A graduate of University of British Columbia’s MFA in Creative Writing Program, their writing explores that sweet spot where Yiddishkayt and queer culture joyfully collide.
In the early days of the pandemic, Jess’s Jewish grandparents die of Covid-19. The grief is overwhelming. And yet, Jess has never felt hornier –– grief has plunged them into a state of wild lust. Soon after, while clearing out their apartment, Jess’s aunt finds their grandmother’s dildo. Jess wonders if their horniness was a sort of possession. This starts Jess on an odyssey –– both in the real world and into Sheol, the Jewish underworld –– to discover more about the dimensions of their grandmother’s desire and by doing so understand more about their own. An Incoherent Body explores queerness, gender and desire across the generations through a Jewish lens and asks, Can lust also be inheritance?
Contact
Request more information about Jess’ thesis project using our Grad Showcase Contact Form.