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The following collection represents the critical and creative work produced during my doctoral program in English. The dissertation consists of Part I, a critical preface, and Part II, a collection of seven short stories and two nonfiction essays. Part I, which contains the critical preface entitled "What to Say and How to Say It," examines the role of voice in discussions of contemporary literature. The critical preface presents a definition of voice and identifies examples of voice-driven writing in contemporary literature, particularly from the work of Mary Robison, Dorothy Allison, and Kathy Acker. In addition, the critical preface also discusses how the use of flavor, tone, and content contribute to voice, both in work of famous authors and in my own writing. In Part II of my dissertation, I present the creative portion of my work. Part II contains seven works of short fiction, titled "Among Waitresses," "The Lion Tamer," "Restoration Services," "Hospitality," "Blood Relation," "Managerial Timber," and "Velma A Cappella." Each work develops a voice-driven narrative through the use of flavor, tone, and content. Also, two nonfiction essays, titled "Fentanyl and Happy Meals" and "Tracks," close out the collection. "Fentanyl and Happy Meals" describes the impact of methamphetamine addiction on family relationships, while "Tracks" focuses on the degradation of the natural world by human waste and other forms of pollution. In total, this collection demonstrates my approach to both scholarly and creative writing, and I am grateful for the University of North Texas for the opportunity to develop academically and achieve my goals.

Inom restaurangbranschen finns det krav och normer för hur en servitris ska bemöta restaurangens gäster. Dessa krav ingår i arbetsrollen och påverkar servitrisens emotioner och självkänsla, vilket skapar en emotionell belastning för servitriserna. För att lindra den emotionella påfrestningen använder de sig av copingstrategier för att behålla självkänslan i balans och fortsätta arbeta inom yrket. Studiens syfte är att utifrån ett socialpsykologiskt perspektiv få en djupare förståelse för hur social interaktion inom restaurangbranschen påverkar servitrisens självkänsla och emotioner. Studien använderen kvalitativ metod med 10 semistrukturerade intervjuer som genomfördes på respondenternas arbetsplatser. Teorierna som används fokuserar på självkänsla, emotionellt lönearbete och copingstrategier. En tematisk analys används för att identifiera mönster och teman i det insamlade materialet. Resultatet visar att servitrisens arbete skapar en emotionell belastning och påverkar självkänslan. Därför använder servitriser olika copingstrategier för att hantera den emotionella belastningen på arbetsplatsen. Några viktiga faktorer som påverkar självkänslan och emotionerna är kundbemötande, feedback från gäster och chefen samt att arbeta enligt yrkeskraven.Respondenterna hanterar de negativa emotionerna genom socialt stöd och använder sin fritid för återhämtning, för att bibehålla balansen mellan arbetslivet och fritiden. / In the restaurant industry, there are requirements and standards about how a waitress should treat the restaurant's guests. These demands are part of the work role and affect the waitress's emotions and self-esteem, which creates an emotional burden for the waitresses. To alleviate the emotional strain, they use coping strategies to keep their self-esteem in balance and continue working in the profession. The purpose of the study is based on a social psychological perspective to gain a deeper understanding of how social interaction within the restaurant industry affects the waitress's self-esteem and emotions. The study is based on a qualitative method with 10 semi-structured interviews that were conducted at the respondents' workplaces. The theories in the study focused on self-esteem, emotional labor and coping strategies. The study used a thematic analysis to identify patterns and themes in the collected material. The results showed that working as a waitress creates an emotional burden, and affects the waitress's self-esteem. Therefore, waitresses used various coping strategies to manage the emotional burden in the workplace. Some important factors that influence self-esteem and emotions are customer service, feedback from guests and the manager, and working according to professional requirements. The respondents dealt with the negative emotions with the help of social support and they recovered in their free time to find a balance between work life and free time.