Live Sessions & Offsite Events Program

We are pleased to present the final program of Live Sessions and Offsite Events for the 2026 Twentynine Palms Book Festival, taking place November 13–15 in Twentynine Palms, California. The program will be updated by mid-July with the final list of moderators, speakers, workshop leaders, featured readers, and participating authors. The festival's Live Sessions program will unfold daily from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM at the Twentynine Palms Community Center by Freedom Plaza, featuring a diverse mix of panel discussions, workshops, and author talks exploring California's landscapes, history, cultures, and literary traditions.

All panel discussions and author talks included in the Live Session Program will be followed by book signing opportunities, providing readers with direct access to authors and their latest works. In parallel, a series of Offsite Events will take place in some of Twentynine Palms' most iconic and easily accessible locations, including the Old Schoolhouse Museum, the Twentynine Palms Public Cemetery, the 29 Palms Inn, Tin Town 29, and The Palms in Wonder Valley. These events are designed to extend the festival experience and immerse readers and writers in the unique character of the Mojave Desert.

FRIDAY 13 November

Live Sessions at the Twentynine Palms Community Center by Freedom Plaza.

9:30 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.

11:00 AM. Panel | From Dust to Denim: 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.

NOON. 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. 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.

6:00 PM. Panel | 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.

Offsite Event

6:00 PM. Mojave Noir. Old Schoolhouse Museum. An evening of mystery, crime fiction, and desert intrigue featuring authors whose stories explore the darker side of the Mojave and the American West.

SATURDAY 14 November

Live Sessions at the Twentynine Palms Community Center by Freedom Plaza.

8:30 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 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 | Indigenous Stories from Page to Screen: Rewriting the West. As Indigenous storytelling gains visibility in film and television, writing by Indigenous authors is increasingly shaping how the American West is portrayed on screen. This panel explores the growing impact of Indigenous literature, culture, and perspectives on contemporary visual storytelling.

2:00 PM. VIP Talk. A featured conversation with an Indigenous author reflecting on storytelling, identity, and the role of narrative in preserving and evolving cultural heritage.

3:00 PM. Panel | UFOs & the Crypto-terrestrial 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.

4:30 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.

Offsite Events

7:00 PM. Noir in the Boneyard. Twentynine Palms Public Cemetery. Set beneath the desert night sky, this reading event brings together noir, crime, and pulp fiction writers for a memorable literary gathering among the stories of the past.

7:00 PM. Voices of the Desert. The Palms in Wonder Valley. A two-hour evening of readings and storytelling featuring local authors, poets, and essayists sharing stories inspired by the Mojave Desert, its landscapes, people, and atmosphere. This event will feature up to twelve participants.

SUNDAY 15 November 

Live Sessions at the Twentynine Palms Community Center by Freedom Plaza.

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. Reading | Letters to the Beyond: Stargazing with P.O. Box Outer Space. Poetry, prose, and experimental storytelling featuring contributors to P.O. Box Outer Space, the acclaimed zine series co-edited by Jardine LIBAIRE and Jennifer PREDIGER

1 PM. VIP Talk | From Childhood Dreams to The St. Paul Phantom. Returning to the festival for the second time, Gerard GIBBONS reflects on how memories of his grandfather and granduncle inspired The St. Paul Phantom, the latest installment in his Fight for Glory franchise. Designed for younger audiences, this conversation explores storytelling, imagination, and the importance of pursuing childhood dreams.

2:30 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.

4 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.

Offsite Event

1:00 PM. Poetry Happy Hour. 29 Palms Inn. An outdoor afternoon of poetry readings on the patio of the historic 29 Palms Inn. The event will be divided into two sessions, each featuring eight poets sharing spoken word and original work in an intimate desert setting.