Fragile Night - Softcover

Stella Pope Duarte

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0927534711 ISBN 13: 9780927534710

Publisher: Bilingual Review Pr, 1997

Synopsis

Short Fiction. Latino/a Studies. Stella Pope Duarte was born and raised in South Phoenix in the barrio of Sonorita. The world of the barrio offered her a daily pageant of characters that filled her imagination, and she began to tell stories about them even before she entered school. "It is usually a good idea when you wake up in the middle of the night to have some warm milk sprinkled on top with a little cinnamon to help you get back to sleep. That is, unless you have other reasons for staying awake, in which case the cup of milk will not help you, not one little bit." ("Fragile Night"). The stories in FRAGILE NIGHT explore the hearts and minds of women and men facing once-in-a-lifetime decisions, grappling with the consequences of flawed choices and struggling against their own weakness, fear, and anger. Duarte lives in Phoenix.

About this title

About the Author

Stella Pope Duarte began her literary career in 1995 after she had a dream in which her deceased father related to her that her destiny was to become a writer. Her first collection of short stories, Fragile Night, (Bilingual Review Press, 1997) won a creative writing fellowship from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, and was named a candidate for the prestigious, Pen West Fiction Award. In 2001 Ms. Duarte was awarded a second creative writing fellowship for her current novel, Let Their Spirits Dance. (HarperCollins, 2002). HarperCollins has described Duarte as a "major, new literary voice in America." Ms. Duarte s work has won awards and honors nationwide, including a nomination for the Pushcart Prize in Literature. Let Their Spirits Dance is on the Book Sense List, and was awarded the AZ Highways Fiction Award for 2003, and nominated as a ONEBOOKAz in 2004. Ms. Duarte won the 2003 "Excellence in Latino Arts & Culture," Award, presented by Valle del Sol. In 2004, she received the Barbara Deming Memorial Fund Award for an excerpt from her current work in progress, The Women of Juarez., and in 2005 she was awarded the "Outstanding Alumni of the Year," by the American Association of Community Colleges. She is a highly sought-after inspirational speaker for audiences of all ages, on topics related to her work, as well as on issues related to: women s rights, culture, diversity, leadership, education, literacy, Chicano/Latino history, writing, and storytelling. Ms. Duarte was born and raised in la Sonorita barrio in South Phoenix.

From Library Journal

At the core of these stories, tales of Hispanic life by a young writer raised in the barrios of South Phoenix, we find the abuse of others through harassment, rape, beatings, war, and infidelity. At least the perpetrators usually get what they deserve. The protagonists?a Vietnam veteran considering the death of a friend, a mother granting her dying son's last wish?must make strong, dramatic decisions to survive their particular situation and better their lives. Unfortunately, simple, conventional prose, lackluster descriptions, and predictable endings keep this collection from being special. The theme of abuse is repeated in too similar a manner from one story to another, and after a point the stories run together. Moreover, the author's intended readership is not clear, as some of these stories seem to be more appropriate for young teenagers, while others are definitely adult. A marginal purchase at best.?Lisa Rohrbaugh, East Palestine Memorial P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bilingual Review Pr
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0927534711
• ISBN 13: 9780927534710
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160