Desert Writers Guild

A HISTORY OF THE DESERT WRITERS’ GUILD

Written by founding member Rosemary Evans (1925 – 2018).

The year was 1988 and the first gathering of what became The Desert Writers Guild of Twentynine Palms met in the meeting room of the Pomona Bank on Adobe Road in Twentynine Palms, California. Alerted by an ad in the Desert Trail Newspaper, nine people showed up.

Several notable authors and many local writers who have had various degrees of success in the publishing world have visited the Guild. The group was honored with appearances by author Robin Maxwell, (Irish history novels) , Elizabeth Taylor (English writer, not the actor), author of many novels, some of which were made into movies; Cathy Snodgrass of the National Romance Writers’ Guild; Dianna Crawford of romance novel fame; and Huell Howser, the popular California's Gold’s TV personality.

In 1991 the Guild published its first Desert Writers’ Guild Annual. The anthology of local writings was well-received in Twentynine Palms and other nearby desert communities. Over the years, the Guild has published several more collections. The 2002 edition sold out, no doubt due in part to the forward written by Huell Howser.

The Desert Writers Guild has been meeting ever since.