Mary Austin (1868–1934):

Mary Austin was a chronicler of the American Southwest who refused the myth that the desert was empty. Born in Illinois, she moved west where scarcity, wind, and water refined both her perception and her prose. In an era intoxicated by expansion, railroads, aqueducts, and industrial ambition, she wrote about attention, insisting that the land was not backdrop but teacher. Through works like The Land of Little Rain, she articulated a radical cosmology of conservation and care for a living land. For creators, she stands as a reminder that attention itself is an ethical act, and that restraint can be a deeper form of abundance.

For More:

The Land of Little Rain — Mary Austin

The Life of Lozen, Apache Warrior

This spring, beginning April 6, I’m leading a twelve-week immersive journey: The Art of Grief: Creating Through Despair. Grief strips away what is excess. It clarifies. It refines. Through weekly transmissions, real assignments, live gatherings, and an in-person closing ceremony, we’ll explore how loss becomes language, and how sorrow can become structure for a new life. If you’re standing in the aftermath of something—and ready to make art from what remains, this is your invitation.

Sign up now!