RANI CREATIVE
RANI CREATIVE
SPOTLIGHT
Spotlight works to scout powerful creatives and artists who are changing the game in their field, and give them the hype they deserve.
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FEATURING
Stacie Denetsosie
Interviewed by: Marta Anielska
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*Content Warning: Mentions of abuse and Indigenous residential schools*
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I have always wanted to become an author. Yes, I’ve strayed from this life goal a few times — the career prospects aren’t exactly promising — but somehow, I’ve always come back to it. Since fully dedicating myself to writing, I’ve discovered something important about what it means to write well. A large part of writing well is about creating a world, and a large part of how writers create a world is by researching, connecting, and building onto the past.
"A large part of writing well is about creating a world, and a large part of how writers create a world is by researching, connecting, and building onto the past."
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Enter Stacie Denetsosie, a Diné fiction writer and poet currently pursuing her Master of Fine Arts at the Institute of American Indian Arts on a full-ride scholarship received for the merit of her work. After reading a piece of hers called “Dormant” in Phoebe Magazine’s Contest Issue, I simply couldn’t resist trying to get in touch with her, and I thankfully got the opportunity to speak with her about art, identity, history, and how they intertwine.
As Stacie puts it, she got into storytelling, and writing was a medium through which she could do that. Because of the abuse her grandfather suffered at an Indigenous boarding school — which, according to Mary Annette Pember, were “institutions created to destroy and vilify Native culture, language, family, and spirituality” — her grandmother distrusted the education system. Consequently, her mother didn’t go to school and was unable to read.
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“[In] the fifth grade, I realized… my mom can’t read,” Stacie told me. “So I took on a lot of responsibility: reading our bills, filling out checks, writing letters, and explaining things to her because she didn’t have the skill set… I think that for me, at least, I learned to read out of necessity… and so from there, I would read anything I got my hands on.”
Her mom mainly bought her graphic novels, and so Stacie started to draw her own comic book panels. “Storytelling was a way to understand myself and create a narrative,” she explained. For her, it was always about the story, regardless of medium. She pivoted to writing when a friend praised a story but questioned why it was taking so long to finish it, to which Stacie responded that it took a long time to draw the panels. “[My friend] was like: ‘Why don’t you just write it?’ And I had never thought of that before for some reason.”
After Stacie started writing, she didn’t look back, going on to complete an English major in university with an emphasis in creative writing. I’ve spent a lot of time contemplating the harsh truths of the industry I have chosen, and I think that many writers feel the need to justify their work. Stacie’s path is connected to her spirituality, and she shared her reasons for continuing to write. Every time she feared she would have to stop her schooling, something happened that allowed her to pay her way through. “Magically, miraculously, I would get a scholarship at the last minute,” she told me. “I’m a big believer that my Creator [will] provide a way if this is what He wants me to do.”
In many ways, Stacie’s work is inspired by her spirituality and identity. She often pulls from the lives of her maternal grandparents and the time she spent on their ranch in Kayenta Arizona. Moreover, she’s very interested in how people are connected to their land and in finding the beauty in the land we live on. This also feeds into her focus on familial relationships; she likes to treat her characters like they’re another one of her relations.
Stacie’s family history often intersects with her fascination with history. She is a self-proclaimed history nerd and often explores trauma and reconciling grief in her work. Her take on history unique, stating that “it’s important to look at [history] as a toolbox and [to think], ‘What can I bring into the present, what can offer the future generation information, or how can we give the future generation something valuable?’” Every one of her pieces is intensely researched, and sometimes she had trouble pulling herself away from the research phase into the writing phase.
However, despite her focus on contextualizing the present moment in the past, she still aims to center her work around the former. Working through the past and present can help us move forward, and she is deeply passionate about contributing to the benefit of future generations. “I definitely want to make it clear that native people exist today. That they are creating things that are informed of the past, but [that] they are paving the way, [and] they are rewriting their narratives [and] their futures.”
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FEATURING
MAHAM ALI
Interviewed by: Aishani Mehra
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Like many others this year, the negativity encompassing the world pushed me to lose hope at times. However, it was the small acts of kindness that arose from different places that allowed me to feel strong and to connect to others. These moments did not only help me regain my strength back, but also helped me reflect and process this year. One of these moments I am grateful to have experienced was connecting with an incredible woman who shared her positivity during these trying times. This spotlight is focused on Maham Ali, a creative and talented jewelry maker in Toronto, Ontario.
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“I see South Asian jewelry as your moment to drip in gold, be daring and to feel empowered”
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In an email to RANI Creative, Maham wrote that “the lockdown brought me to a low point and being a positive person I knew I had to make changes in my life and do something that is meaningful to me.” So she pursued her passion for jewelry making and started her small business Kindwired on Etsy. Her jewelry shop sells many exquisite necklaces, rings, earrings, and anklets — it’s also inspired by Maham’s South Asian roots. “I see South Asian jewelry as your moment to drip in gold, be daring and to feel empowered,” she expressed. “When making jewelry I design the pieces by finding ways to compliment the soft and minimalistic style of modern jewelry with the South Asian influence.”​
As a South Asian, I was in awe of the jewelry the moment I saw it. It immediately intrigued me and made me feel a sense of warmth through the representation it offers. Every piece is a work of art that highlights the boldness and power of South Asian culture but through a minimalistic lens. I wondered what inspired her to fuse these two aspects of design together and she answered that she is “very attached and proud of [her] South Asian roots.”
"Not knowing where [you fit] can leave you a little empty. Whenever I make a jewelry piece I feel like this is a way for me to bring the two different cultures together by bridging that gap I felt my whole life.”
“It took me some time to embrace that and find myself. It is weird but growing up in Switzerland I felt like a stranger and when visiting Pakistan I felt like a stranger too! Not knowing where [you fit] can leave you a little empty. Whenever I make a jewelry piece I feel like this is a way for me to bring the two different cultures together by bridging that gap I felt my whole life.” But that’s not all — Maham also shared that “it wasn’t just about having a small jewelry business but also about giving back to the society.” For every piece you purchase from October and December, 10 percent will be donated to Nellie’s Women’s Shelter in Toronto. “That's how the name Kindwired came,” she wrote. “Kind [for] spreading kindness within society through charity [and] WIRED [for] hand-wired pieces made with love.”
We at RANI are reflecting this month and so I asked Maham how she processes the past through her creations. She explained how her experiences with her grandmother have had a big influence on her perspective.
“My visits to the churyia bazaar with my grandmother as a young child have definitely had an impact on my designs, that’s where the love for jewelry started. After I got married my grandmother passed down to me the most beautiful jhumka earrings. When I am looking for inspiration to create some new jewelry designs I return to those earrings and instantly feel nostalgic. The memory of my grandmother and being able to feel connected to both cultures are two main reasons why I am drawn to jewelry making.”
The power of reflection and opening your mind to experiences in your past allows us to understand the roots of the choices we make. We at RANI are fascinated by the different lives people live that have shaped them. Maham Ali’s story is beautiful and we encourage our readers to reflect on your choices and reflect on the people who are a blessing in your life as she has done.
*Churyia bazaar is a small marketplace that sells traditional South Asian jewelry
*Jhumka earrings are traditional beaded earrings