Days Are Gods

Liz Stephens received her PhD in creative nonfiction. A winner of the Western Literature Association's Frederick Manfred Award and a finalist for the Annie Dillard Creative Nonfiction Award, her work has been published in Fourth Genre, Brevity, Western American Literature, and South Dakota Review.

"Stephens' lyric, visually detailed prose will remind readers that building a home can take more than just time; it takes a sense of belonging, of roots that stretch deep below the topsoil."—Kirkus"With her own twist, Liz Stephens joins fellow writers Terry Tempest Williams and Cheryl Strayed on the trail of women writing the American West. In this fine debut memoir-wrought in language that is witty, melodic, and wise-Stephens insinuates herself among the landscape in such a way that the reader may gather pieces of more than one puzzle."Geri Lipschultz, We Wanted to Be Writers "Filled with rich description and personal stories, Stephen's focused memoir recounts days of important self-discovery."—Rick Roche, Booklist "The Days are Gods is a book with a lot of heart, and it’s a model for those seeking to turn their own experiences into memoir."-Narrative "The sense of place created by Stephens is notable as is her nonhysterical treatment of the ways and lives of her new Mormon neighbors. Those who dream of a practical escape from the rat race of modern life will find a kindred spirit here."—Library Journal "[Stephens] paints an inspiring picture of a simpler time, a place we all yearn for, a place to put down roots, to become a part of the history and the stories, and to feel a sense of belonging, a sense of what home means."-Laura Friedkin, San Francisco Book Review/ Sacramento Book Review

• ProloguePart 1. Los AngelesHot AirSo Manifest It, ManPart 2. UtahUtah Looked Like ThisChecking FenceWaryAudell's Carpenter's and Builder's GuidePowwow at the Ball FieldWinterSuddenly, What You Do Is What You DoTable of ContentsProcessThe Magic TrickGroundworkGardeningThe History of Other PeopleSpringThe Box CStudent TeachingMemorial DayYokedPart 3. This Is the PlaceThat Bright SummerGusChicken LessonsHeavy Is the CrownThe Night Life around HereThe Windows of WellsvilleNotchesPart 4. The Memory CairnsHoneyThe LocalFinding OklahomaOh Country RoadsWednesday Night Lights across from the Stop-n-GoAvoiding Jackson HoleThe ReenactorsLots Four and Five, Range One West of the Salt Lake MeridianIn My DefenseVision upon VisionCowboy UpFounders' DayMonument to Belief, Middle of Nowhere, UtahPart 5. Culling SeasonShooting Stars Lit Up the YardAcknowledgments