Immersive Creative Writing Field Experience

Immerse yourself in the landscape of Joshua Tree National Park and infuse a sense of wonder into your poetry and prose. Take guided hikes and explore creative writing prompts over the course of a half-day writing experience as you connect with the natural landscape at Live Oak. 

• This creative writing experience takes place at Live Oak Picnic Area.

• This immersive workshop is suitable for outdoor enthusiasts and ideal for writers of all experience levels.

• Entry to Joshua Tree National Park is not included in the cost of enrollment. Please purchase your park pass online ahead of time on the NPS website.

• No meals or equipment are provided.

• Participants are responsible for their own transportation; carpooling with other participants is encouraged.

This class is leisurely. It requires less than 2 miles of walking, limited shade, uneven terrain, and little elevation gain. Hiking and walking are not required and can be modified to accommodate participants. Please email desertinstitute@joshuatree.org if you need specific accommodations.

Required Items:

• Water (2 - 3 liters per person)

• Appropriate hiking attire: Layers are recommended for low temperatures

• Food and snacks

• Closed-toe athletic shoes

• Sun protection: A hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are recommended

• Daypack

• Notebook, clipboard, and preferred writing utensils

• Hiking poles (optional)

• A full tank of gas (or full charge for EVs) prior to arriving at the meeting location 

• Bring a lawn chair or blanket for sitting

Discount Policy: Only one discount may be applied per registration. Discounts cannot be combined. Eligible discounts include Friends & Family, Teacher, Veteran, Active Duty Military (and spouses), Park Lover Member, and Student discounts. The highest applicable single discount will be applied at checkout. 

Meet Your Instructors: Ruth Nolan lives in the Mojave Desert and is an author and professor of creative writing at College of the Desert. She has curated writing workshops for Desert Institute since 2008. Her desert-centric writing has been published in Boom: California; McSweeney’s; KCET Tending Nature and Artbound L.A.; Joshua Tree: Where Two Deserts Meet; Campfire Stories Vol. 2: Voices from America’s National Parks and Trails; and Writing the Golden State: The New Literary Terrain of California. A former wildland firefighter for the BLM CA Desert District, she is editor of "No Place for a Puritan: The Literature of California's Deserts” (Heyday Books) and curator of the humanities project "Fire on the Mojave: Stories from the Deserts and Mountains of Southern California."

Caryn Davidson spent 20 years as a park ranger in Joshua Tree National Park’s education branch and was the liaison for its Artist-in-Residence program from 2006 to 2016. She later served as Director of Environmental Education at Big Morongo Canyon Preserve and worked as a museum educator in Yucca Valley. Caryn now leads hikes for Road Scholar, Desert Institute, and Wandering Mojave Hiking Services, sharing her passion for the desert’s beauty and complexity. She holds a master’s degree in French from UCLA and previously worked for the French Consulate in Los Angeles. Caryn’s writing has been published in numerous journals and magazines, and she enjoys yoga, hiking, and photography.

Photo Credit: JTNPA/Paul Martinez