Desert Lady Diaries

From an early age, Zara Kand knew she would have an unconventional career. Drawn to visual arts of all kinds it was a natural that she would become an artist. Zara is an oil painter and freelance artist of many mediums. If you are interested in pursuing visual art, Zara suggests studying the works of some of your favorite artists for inspiration and taking classes at local community college and just do the work - regardless of the opinions anyone may have about it. Her advice: believe in what your heart tells you and follow it. Zara's first experience with the desert was on a camping trip 'date' with her now husband, Jean-Paul. They were so moved by their early visits to Joshua Tree, they decided to come and make it their home. Zara found herself immersed in the artist community almost immediately and stumbled upon Sun Alley, where she and Jean-Paul now have a storefront, Space Cowboy Books, selling sci-fi, classics and the work of local literary artists. Space Cowboy hosts monthly community events and publishes local works of literature. Zara's work has also been featured in Desert Lady Lauren Henley's Apercus Literary Magazine. When this episode was released, Zara had just opened 'Fever Dream' an art exhibition at Art Queen Gallery in Joshua Tree. Zara curated the exhibit which includes her own work, as well as the work of artists: Christiane Cegavske (stop motion) and Carol Cameron (assemblage). The exhibit runs Saturday, September 1 to October 28, 2018. Find more about Zara at her website: http://zarakand.com/

www.lihenley.com An only child of divorced parents, Lauren grew up splitting her time between Joshua Tree and Landers. With no siblings, imagination was key in creating the little worlds she played in as a child in these isolated places. She also believes the 1984 disappearance of a toddler in Joshua Tree Joshua Tree National Park not only heightened the awareness of local parents about the whereabouts of their children, but also heightened her own, in general, and believes this awareness translates to her poetry. Lauren, under the name L.I. Henley, is the author of two chapbooks: 'Desert with a Cabin View' and 'The Finding'. Her second full-length collection, 'Starshine Road', won the 2017 Perugia Press Prize. She is also the recipient of The Academy of American Poets University Aware, The Duckabush Prize in Poetry, chosen by Lia Purpura, and two prizes through The Poet's Billow. Her newest poetry collection, 'Whole Night Through', will be available in October 2019. Lauren also edits the online literary journal, 'Apercus'. For many years Lauren has faced a number of health challenges including a gluten allergy and a Hashimoto's diagnosis. In this episode, she talks about the big role diet has played in her health management and healing. Lauren shares her health journey with others through her blog at her website.

Growing up in West Virginia and orphaned at an early age, Linda Carmella Sibio started drawing at age 11. Since 1985, Linda has worked in various art media and performance art. Linda assisted in starting The Los Angeles Poverty Department - a performance troupe in Los Angeles' Skid Row, and has an interest in those living on the fringes of society, particularly those with mental illness. Her art demonstrates how those experiences effect culture as a whole. Linda moved to the desert 20 years ago after quietly slipping out of the psych ward of a Los Angeles-area hospital. In the desert, Linda has found a place where she can create in isolation. In addition to paintings and performance works, Linda created a workshop called The Insanity Principle, taking symptoms of insanity and transposing them into techniques for making experimental art. Linda teaches in the Hi-Desert, supported through Andrea Zittel's Hi-Desert Test Sites. Check the site in Fall 2018 for new dates. In this episode Linda also talks about her desert neighbors and a harrowing experience of being followed home after a night of meditation. Linda's work has been seen at the United Nations, Brussels Contemporary Art Fair, VSA Arts at the Kennedy Center, REDCAT in Los Angeles and more. She is represented by Andrew Edlin Gallery in New York where her latest work, 'The Economics of Suffering' as well as a performance piece titled, 'Emotional States of Zero' will be on exhibit beginning January 2019. A fundraiser for the exhibit, with limited capacity due to space, will be held in Los Angeles, with a reception afterward at a private residence, on Sunday September 16, 2018, from 2-4 p.m. If you are interested in attending the fundraiser or making a donation, please email: [email protected] for more details and information. View Linda's website here The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelor's Even, by Marcel Duchamp (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) Madness and Civilization, by Michel Foucault (Insanity) Anti-Oedipus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, by Deleuze and Gautier

In her high school days, Sandra had an interest in the printing process. She landed her first job at a printing press during high school, which eventually lead to an 18 year career in the industry. Looking for a change, she enrolled in college, taking classes in graphic design, allowing her to see how what came to press was created. Sandra's interest in photography started with watching the images develop from her dad's Polaroid camera. With a camera of her own, Sandra found she could get lost in nature, melding into the scenes of seagulls and flowers, even sensing communication with them without saying a word. She'd take off in the morning with her camera and be gone for hours. On her website, Sandra offers photography and graphic design services. Her photographs have been published, in print and online, by the Hi-Desert Star, LA Yoga Magazine, Vice.com, Palm Springs Life, Coachella Weekly, Lulumag.com and many more. In this episode, Sandra talks about a trip to the desert that brought her to healing. What was to be a four-day visit at the desert home of friends, turned into weeks after connecting with a printed, framed affirmation (below) displayed at her friends home. The affirmation was from Louise Hay (who wrote 'You Can Heal Your Life')and sent Sandra on a journey to connect with being true to herself and loving herself. If you're looking to really connect with who you are and tamp down the negative voices with positive vibes, Sandra recommends self-help books, music, podcasts and getting outside in nature. I Love Myself Affirmation Louise Hay Deep at the center of my being, there is an infinite well of love. I now allow this love to flow to the surface. It fills my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being and radiates out from me in all directions and returns to me multiplied. The more love I use and give, the more I have to give. The supply is endless. The use of love makes me feel good, it is an expression of my inner joy. I love myself; therefore, I take loving care of my body. I lovingly feed you nourishing foods and beverages, I lovingly groom you and dress you, and you lovingly responds to me with vibrant health and energy. I love myself; therefore, I provide for myself this comfortable home, one that fills all my needs and is a pleasure to be in. I fill the rooms with the vibration of love so that all who enter, myself included, will feel this love and be nourished by it. I love myself; therefore I work at a job I truly enjoy doing, one that uses my creative talents and abilities, working with and for people I love and who love me and earning a good income. I love myself; therefore, I behave and think in a loving way to all people for I know that that which I give out returns to me multiplied. I only attract loving people in my world, for they are a mirror of who I am. I love myself; therefore I forgive and totally release the past and all past experiences and I am free. I love myself; therefore I live totally in the now, experiencing each moment as good and knowing that my future is bright, joyous and secure, for I am a beloved child of Divine Mother and Divine Mother lovingly takes care of me now and forever more. And so it is...I love you

Growing up near Boise, Idaho, Teresa was familiar with the desert. So when a trip brought her out to the Mojave, it was like a homecoming. With a long history of community organizing, it's no surprise Teresa became immersed in the community quickly, helping out at local Community Center events, joining the Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council, writing a column for the local newspaper and creating her own hyper-local paper with her husband Ken: The Wonder Valley Sand Paper, inspired by Harry Oliver's 'The Desert Rat Scrapbook' and the Scarfolk Council. Teresa recently accepted the position of Coordinator at the Wonder Valley Community Center, where new programs have included a discussion with local snake manager Bert Lies, a hike for fulgurites, American Sign Language classes and Artist of the Month exhibitions. Having graduated the the EMT Program at Copper Mountain College, Teresa is also equipped to assist members of her in emergency situations. In this episode, Teresa talks about all of this, as well as her love of Google Maps, which lead to the discovery of some truly intriguing Wonder Valley history: the Full Bloom Love Volcanic Gardens of homesteader, Hazel I. Stiles.

Faith Chinnock is a mom and a musician who has lived on both sides of the Morongo Basin. In this episode, Faith tells the story of her and, then boyfriend, Tim, making a road trip to the desert with Faith's Dad - who made a statement to them about finding 'liberation in the flatness'. It wasn't until years later, living in the flatness themselves, that Faith and Tim began to understand what her Dad meant by those words. Landing in 29Palms as the result of her husbands Navy assignment, Faith took to the place much more quickly than she expected. It helped that they'd found an old, original adobe house to rent that they'd both fallen in love with and the desert seemed to wrap Faith up, allowing her to heal some wounds from her past. Tim then began to immerse himself in the hi-desert music scene and before she knew it, Faith was right there with him and they birthed, The Adobe Collective. Even as a busy mom of two young children, Faith finds time to be involved in the community, whether helping other moms with their children or coordinating a postcard writing campaign for a local woman running for Congress. Faith talks a bit about home-schooling and provides a few local resources for parents who are finding themselves stressed and overwhelmed.

In this episode, Catherine tells us it was only until after moving to the desert that she remembered traveling through the desert as a small child on family trips. In later years, she would visit alone, with her backpack, taking respite from the demands of life in LA. On one such trip, just before her 40th birthday, Catherine made the decision to move permanently. Dr. Catherine Svehla is the hi-desert's "local mythologist". She is a cultural mythologist, storyteller, artist, activist and creates story-based programs to share the transformative power of myth. Catherine is also the host of 'Myth in the Mojave', a storytelling podcast with listeners around the world. She founded and led the Hi-Desert Mythological Roundtable from 2009-2015 and lives in Joshua Tree. After moving here, Catherine had numerous jobs, completed Graduate School and now hosts myth workshops, one of which is called, 'The Heroines Journey'.

Tracy Bartlett is a long time resident of Joshua Tree - 30 years to be exact. Tracy started coming to the desert as part of her job doing Outdoor Education/Wilderness Therapy in the park. When she found herself sleeping in her VW Bus in the park or at friends houses, she knew it was time to just give in and make the move permanent. Active politically, Tracy walked across the US in 1986 with anti-nuke peace marches as well as being an activist for ecology, women's issues and social justice. She also has a long personal and professional involvement with sexuality and sex education and created a card game, which grew out of some of those workshops, called Sex Question Cards, available online or locally at Grateful Desert in downtown Joshua Tree, helping people become more confident in their sexual lives. In this episode, Tracy talks about her interest in menopause issues, which she found personally offered her an opportunity as "a serious housecleaning" on many levels. Out of this grew a workshop she has presented locally in Joshua Tree and has taken on the road this summer to present in the Pacific Northwest. Being a long-time, seasoned resident, Tracy also offers some insight into what Joshua Tree was like 30 years ago and offers some insight and advice for newcomers about treating the desert and it's residents with care and respect.

Amy's arrival to the desert, with four kids in tow, is a much different arrival from many of the women who have been on the podcast before her. But, Amy rolled up here sleeves, like many women who come here do. She created a business, Kid's Closet, re-selling children's clothing to support herself and her kids. Shortly after starting the business, Amy had a health scare, causing her to leave the area. Staying with her mother, Amy began to see the value in a vegetarian diet, one she advocates to this day, offering resources like 'The China Study' as well as Dr. McDougal and Dr. Sebi. In this episode, she talks about how her kids felt about the nutritional switch. While bed-ridden with cancer, Amy taught herself how to play the guitar. After mastering the instrument, she learned some songs and started going out to open mics. Amy produced a song (and video), "Killer". Amy is an Desert Theatre League award-winning Costume Designer who lends her talents to the Hi-Desert Cultural Center, making many of the show costumes, particularly for the summer kids productions, by hand. You'll also catch Amy on stage now and then, fulfilling her dream of telling stories that matter.

Desert rat: Slang, a person who has spent a long time in the desert. Shannon Swanson-Briggs came to the desert at the age of 10, spending a great deal of time in what was then known as Joshua Tree National Monument. Shannon graduated from 29Palms High School and only left the desert once for a brief period. Shannon returned to the desert, loves the weather and hiking, particularly local spots not yet discovered by the burgeoning tourist population. She and Destany are like two peas in a pod. DJ, as she is also known, is a born and raised desert rat and was a Joshua Tree 'poster child', appearing in the local newspaper as a helper and participant in many local community events like Coyote Fest, Turtle Days (Joshua Tree is famous for it's desert tortoise population) and the Joshua Tree Music Festival. Her love of theatre began at the age of eight, as part of a local community youth acting class. DJ then became involved with the Hi-Desert Cultural Center, taking on many behind-the-scenes jobs. That love now propels her to Seattle's Cornish College of the Arts in the fall. To supplement her college expenses, DJ is selling some of her art, which can be found on her Facebook page. Though growing up in the desert was fun for both of them, it has also brought tragedy. Shannon's brother, DJ's uncle, Rick, was struck down by cancer two years ago at the age of 46 and they also lost a dear family friend in a desert natural disaster, demonstrating that while the desert can be beautiful and magical, it can also be dangerous and devastating.