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.