AGENDA (AS OF 5 MAY)

The Twentynine Palms Book Festival returns for its 2026 edition as a three-day literary gathering celebrating stories inspired by California, its landscapes, and its cultural identity. This year, the festival is expected to welcome a lineup of 100+ authors, alongside a dynamic program of 20+ live sessions, including panel discussions, workshops, and author talks. Together, these sessions offer a wide range of speaking opportunities and reader-facing experiences across genres and disciplines. TheTwentynine Palms Community Center by Freedom Plazawill serve as the central hub for the festival’s daytime programming.

Doors open daily from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM. On-site parking available. A curated book fair will take place inside the Community Center bringing together 50+ exhibitors: authors, independent presses, bookstores and writers associations.

The Live Sessions Program features a carefully curated mix of panel discussions, workshops, and talks designed to explore a wide range of literary themes—from memoir and crime fiction to Indigenous storytelling, music, and desert culture. The full lineup of authors, moderators, and hosts will be announced by mid-August, marking the beginning of the festival’s full activation phase. In parallel to the daytime program, a series of offsite evening reading events will unfold across some of Twentynine Palms’ most distinctive and historic locations. More details about the Offsite Reading Events program will be unveiled at the end of May. Sign Up to Stay Tuned

Live Sessions Program

The Live Sessions Program features a carefully curated mix of panel discussions, workshops, and talks designed to explore a wide range of literary themes—from memoir and crime fiction to Indigenous storytelling, music, and desert culture. The full lineup of authors, moderators, and hosts will be announced by mid-August, marking the beginning of the festival’s full activation phase. In parallel to the daytime program, a series of offsite evening reading events will unfold across some of Twentynine Palms’ most distinctive and historic locations. More details about the Offsite Reading Events program will be unveiled at the end of May. Sign Up to Stay Tuned

FRIDAY 13 November / 8 sessions

10:00 AM. Opening Panel | Never Underestimate the Desert.

The desert is more than a landscape—it is a catalyst for creativity and preservation. Artists, writers, scholars, and desert advocates explore how their work reflects, documents, and protects desert life, turning storytelling into a form of cultural and environmental stewardship.

11:30 AM. Panel | From Denim to Dust: Dressing the Desert Life.

From durable canvas to iconic denim, early desert pioneers developed a practical yet enduring style shaped by survival. This session explores how clothing reflects identity and environment, alongside the books and stories that capture this rugged chapter of desert life.

12:30 PM. Workshop | Beyond the Book: Expanding the Value of Your Writing.

A practical session on how writers can extend their work beyond the page—into adaptation, speaking, partnerships, and audience-building—offering tools to develop a sustainable and diversified creative career.

1:30 PM. Panel | The Salton Sea: California’s Forgotten Riviera.

Once a glamorous destination, the Salton Sea now stands as one of California’s most complex and symbolic landscapes. This panel explores its rise and decline, and how it continues to inspire stories of ambition, illusion, and reinvention.

2:30 PM. Panel | Memoir and the California Experience.

California has long been a place of reinvention. This session explores memoir as a form shaped by identity, movement, and landscape, where personal narratives intersect with cultural shifts and a powerful sense of place.

4:00 PM. VIP Talk.

A featured author in conversation about her book on U2’s journey across the Mojave Desert, offering insight into storytelling, music, and the mythology of the American landscape.

5:00 PM. Starting a Second Chapter: Writing After 65.

A growing number of retirees are choosing to live in the High Desert, drawn by its space, pace, and sense of possibility. This practical session explores how writing can become a meaningful second chapter, with authors sharing how they got started, developed a routine, and moved toward publication. Grounded in real experience, the discussion offers clear, accessible pathways for turning a lifetime of stories into work on the page.

6:30 PM. Screening / Panel | UFOs & the Cryptoterrestrial Theory: Screening + Q&A with Leslie & Stephen Shaw.

A special screening of Who They Are, directed by Jeremy Norrie (Sky Island Storytelling) and executive produced by J. Horton (J. Horton Films), followed by a live Q&A with authors Leslie and Stephen Shaw.

SATURDAY 14 November/ 8 sessions

9:00 AM. Workshop | Imagining Other Worlds: Writing Fantasy, Science Fiction & Horror.

An introduction to speculative storytelling, this workshop explores how writers build immersive worlds, create tension, and craft compelling narratives that expand beyond realism while remaining emotionally grounded.

10:00 AM. Panel | The Desert Is Full of Bodies: The Rise of True Crime.

True crime has become one of the most consumed storytelling genres. This session explores its evolution, its narrative mechanics, and what it reveals about our fascination with crime, justice, and human behavior.

11:30 AM. Panel | The Forgotten Pioneers of Travel Writing.

Long before modern travel writing, women documented the American West with insight and precision. This panel revisits their work and examines how their perspectives continue to shape how we write about landscape, movement, and discovery.

12:30 PM. Panel + VIP Talk | Indigenous Voices: Rewriting the West.

A powerful conversation on how Indigenous writers are reshaping the story of the American West. Blending ancestral knowledge with contemporary storytelling, this session brings together authors whose work reflects lived experience, cultural continuity, and a deep relationship to land. The discussion will include a featured conversation with a leading Indigenous author, offering deeper insight into storytelling, identity, and the role of narrative in preserving and evolving cultural heritage.

2:30 PM. Panel | 1976: Disco, Punk, and the California Sound Shift.

A pivotal year in cultural history, 1976 saw the rise of disco alongside the emergence of punk. This panel examines how California helped shape this transformation and how it continues to influence music writing and storytelling.

4:00 PM. Panel | On the Road Again: Route 66 at 100.

A century after reshaping the American imagination, Route 66 remains a symbol of movement and reinvention. This panel explores its cultural legacy and its enduring influence on literature and storytelling.

5:30 PM. Panel | Joan Didion: Writing California, Defining a Voice.

Joan Didion captured California with unmatched clarity—its contradictions, illusions, and quiet tensions. This session explores her legacy and her lasting influence on writers navigating identity, place, and cultural change.

SUNDAY 15 November / 7 sessions.

9:00 AM. Workshop | Poetry for Young Voices: Finding Words, Finding Confidence.

An interactive workshop introducing children to poetry as a tool for expression, imagination, and confidence, encouraging them to find and trust their own voice.

10:00 AM. Panel | Books Don’t Need Chargers: Raising Readers in a Digital World.

A practical and timely conversation on how to foster reading habits in children and teenagers in an increasingly screen-driven environment, offering strategies for parents, educators, and communities.

11:30 AM. Panel | Stargazing: Writing the Night Sky.

An immersive moment connecting literature, science, and the desert sky. This session explores how writers and observers translate the experience of the night sky into language, imagination, and meaning.

1 PM PM. VIP Talk.

A closing conversation with a children’s author reflecting on storytelling, creativity, and the importance of nurturing imagination in young readers.

2:00 PM. Panel | Writing the Return: Storytelling as Therapy for Veterans and Their Families.

A meaningful discussion on how writing helps veterans and their families process experience, navigate transition, and reconnect through storytelling as a tool for healing and community.

3:30 PM. Panel | From Gliders to Global Force: The History of the 29 Palms Marine

Base. From its origins as a WWII glider training site to becoming the largest Marine Corps base in the world, this session explores a defining chapter of regional and military history.

5:00 – 6:00 PM. Special Event | Young Readers Challenge.

A live literary competition where young readers present and discuss selected books across four age divisions, celebrating comprehension, confidence, and the joy of reading.