ABOUT THE AUTHOR

STACIE SHANNON DENETSOSIE is a member of the Navajo Nation and her clans are Todích'íí'nii (Bitterwater) and born for Naakaii Dine'é (Mexican). Her work has appeared in Yellow Medicine Review, Scribendi, and Phoebe. She holds an MFA in Fiction from the Institute of American Indian Arts and is a contributor to the Torrey House Press anthology Blossom as the Cliffrose: Mormon Legacies and the Beckoning Wild. She lives in Logan, Utah.

ALSO BY THE AUTHOR

BLOSSOM AS THE CLIFFROSE: Mormon Legacies and the Beckoning Wild

Blossom as the Cliffrose features original poems and prose by talented writers who are faithful, non-faithful, believers, heretics, converts and de-converts, dragged in or forced out of the Mormon faith. This dynamic collection demonstrates the breadth, complexity, and diversity of a Latter-day Saint legacy of commitment to natural place and challenges us to examine the myriad ways our own deeply rooted heritage shapes our personal relationship with landscape.

“Meditative and energizing, fierce and loving, balanced and rhythmic. An invitation to welcome faith and nature, and to embrace the tensions and beauty that spring from every crack and cranny along the way.”
—FOREWORD REVIEWS

PRAISE FOR THE MISSING MORNINGSTAR

“The Missing Morningstar effortlessly exudes power and charm in equal measure. Denetsosie appears on the page fully formed. A feat of voice, texture, heart, and an absolute thrill to read.”

—TOMMY ORANGE, author of There There

​​

​

“Denetsosie skillfully enlightens readers about the Diné experience, offering a deeper understanding and awareness.”

—BOOKLIST

​

“Denetsosie debuts with a bracing and poignant collection portraying the rugged lives of her Diné characters and their complex family bonds. . . Denetsosie soars when depicting the characters’ close relationships with one another. It’s a potent display of modern Navajo life.”

—PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

“An unflinching collection... altogether, the poignant stories of The Missing Morningstar represent a world of people searching for love, fulfillment, and belonging.”

—FOREWORD REVIEWS

​

​

“Denetsosie’s gorgeous short story collection plunged deep into my soul, where these strong and resilient Navajo characters will remain for a very, very long time.”

—KALI FAJARDO-ANSTINE, author of Woman of Light

​​

​

“Stacie Shannon Denetsosie has given us insight and honesty on what it is to be Navajo now.”

—CALVIN CROSBY, The King’s English Bookshop

​

​

“Denetsosie's new collection delivers gritty, fantastical, and beautifully intimate short stories that shed light on the young Indigenous experience.”
—COWBOYS & INDIANS MAGAZINE

​​

​

“Whether it's a young Navajo man's unsettling encounter with his grandfather's casket, a gas station clerk entwined in the mystery of a kidnapped beauty queen, or a couple's quest to unravel the complexities of blood quantum in their pursuit of parenthood, Denetsosie's narratives resonate with the struggles and triumphs of a vibrant community.”
—INDIAN COUNTRY TODAY

​

​

“Denestosie gives an unfiltered peer into Diné modern familiarity, something that anyone can relate or learn from. She doesn’t shy away from drawing a thread from contemporary life to tradition, bringing into stark constraints how colonialism has changed the conditions of everyday life for Diné people. Yet all of her characters experience love near fashion and grapple with life’s toughest decisions.”
—CAROLANN JANE DURO, Quiet Quail Books Founder

​

​

“The Missing Morningstar is a vivid and imaginative mapping of the lives of Diné people and the many faceted ways in which we exist in this world. The characters have such depth that I could still see and hear them long after I had finished reading.”

—RAMONA EMERSON, author of Shutter 

​​

​

“Full of voices that reveal grief and redemption, this collection is a compelling compendium of family, truths, loss and love. I loved it.”

—BRANDON HOBSON, author of The Removed

​​

​

“Denetsosie’s characters are tied to the land and one another in ways that nurture and sometimes hurt. They’ll have you laughing, crying, and, sometimes, singing alongside them.”

—KELLI JO FORD, author of Crooked Hallelujah

​

​

“These are stories that will break your heart and make you laugh and break your heart some more.”

—TONI JENSEN, author of Carry: A Memoir of Survival on Stolen Land and From the Hilltop: Stories

​​

​

“Denetsosie’s voice, at once thunderous and tender, sings in The Missing Morningstar. A stunning debut.”

—KINSALE DRAKE, Founder of NDN Girls Book Club

​​

​

“Two thirds heartbreak, one third redemption, these stories of contemporary life in and around the Navajo Reservation bear all the generational trauma of colonialism and all the hope and humor of the people who live between the four sacred peaks.”

—PAM HOUSTON, author of Air Mail and Deep Creek: Finding Hope In The High Country

​​

​

“Denetsosie’s characters are powerful reminders of why we keep on living.”

—HALEE KIRKWOOD, Birchbark Books

​