New Literary Opportunities Bloom in the High Desert

A new literary festival, venues, and publications expand options for writers and readers in the Morongo Basin.

Published on Mar. 7, 2026

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The high desert region of California is seeing a surge of new literary opportunities, including the inaugural Hi-Desert Lo-Fi Lit Weekend festival, the opening of new bookstores and reading venues, and the launch of several new literary journals highlighting local and national writers. This literary renaissance is bringing together established and emerging desert writers, offering more ways for the community to connect over shared passions.

Why it matters

The high desert has long attracted writers, but lacked sufficient literary infrastructure to match the talent of local authors. The new wave of literary events, venues, and publications is helping to build a more vibrant, inclusive, and supportive ecosystem for writers and readers in the region.

The details

The Hi-Desert Lo-Fi Lit Weekend festival will take place March 20-22 at venues across the Morongo Basin, featuring panels, workshops, readings, and performances by authors who have made the desert a central part of their work. Meanwhile, new bookstores like Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree have helped fill a void, and literary journals like Jackrabbit Journal are launching to highlight both local and national desert writers. The pandemic also drove an influx of new resident writers to the area, further expanding the literary community.

  • The inaugural Hi-Desert Lo-Fi Lit Weekend will be held from Friday, March 20, to Sunday, March 22, 2026.
  • Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree recently celebrated its 10th anniversary.

The players

Gina Frangello

Co-organizer of the Hi-Desert Lo-Fi Lit Weekend festival and a resident of Wonder Valley.

Jean-Paul L. Garnier

Writer, publisher, and owner of Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree, a key pillar of the high desert literary scene.

Susan Rukeyser

Writer who launched the Desert Split Open open mic and reading series in Joshua Tree.

Natalie Raymond

Managing and poetry editor for the new literary journal Jackrabbit Journal, which aims to highlight queer writers.

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What they’re saying

“We live here; we love it here; and we want to champion our own community.”

— Gina Frangello, Co-organizer, Hi-Desert Lo-Fi Lit Weekend (cvindependent.com)

“One of the things I really love about the desert literary community is that it's non-hierarchical. Established and emerging writers appear side by side at the same venues and events. Everyone knows each other, and the festival is cool, because it's a chance to bring everyone together.”

— Gina Frangello, Co-organizer, Hi-Desert Lo-Fi Lit Weekend (cvindependent.com)

“It's not just writing about the desert anymore, and it's not necessarily a masculine environment.”

— Susan Rukeyser, Founder, Desert Split Open (cvindependent.com)

What’s next

The inaugural Hi-Desert Lo-Fi Lit Weekend will take place March 20-22, 2026, featuring panels, workshops, readings, and performances across venues in the Morongo Basin.

The takeaway

The high desert's literary scene is undergoing a renaissance, with new festivals, venues, and publications creating more opportunities for writers and readers to connect. This expansion of the literary ecosystem is helping to make the desert's creative community more inclusive and supportive of both established and emerging voices.