Discipline/Field: Creative Nonfiction

Based in: Palm Desert, CA

About: Ruth Nolan is author, former seasonal wildland firefighter, and professor of American Indian Literature and creative writing at College of the Desert. She worked for the US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management on line, engine and helicopter crews fighting fire throughout the Western U.S.

As a California Writing Resident, Ruth will be completing a book that takes a broad view of the role, presence and impacts of wildfire in inland Southern California desert and mountain regions.

Project Title: Fire On the Mojave: Stories from the Deserts and Mountains of Inland Southern California is designed to provide both a compelling reading experience and also serve to foster a wider community awareness and discourse on fire science, fire ecology, the impact of major wildfire events, and the world of a wildland firefighter.

Relevant link: Inlandia Institute