Waterston Desert Writing Prize Award Ceremony

Join us for a celebration for the Waterston Desert Writing Prize winner.

Hear from the winner and the 2025 guest judge, award-winning author Beth Piatote. Piatote is a Nez Perce scholar, playwright, and associate professor of English and Comparative Literature at the University of California, Berkley. She is an enrolled member of the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

The Waterston Desert Writing Prize (the Prize) was established in 2014, inspired by author and poet Ellen Waterston’s love of the High Desert, a region that has been her muse for more than 40 years. The Prize provides financial and other support to writers whose work reflects a similar connection to the desert, recognizing the vital role deserts play worldwide in the ecosystem and the human narrative.

RSVP for the Waterston Desert Writing Prize Ceremony below!

6:00 pm reception with light appetizers and a drink ticket

7:00-8:30 pm program

Book signing with the guest judge and keynote speaker follows until 9:00 pm. 

Tickets are $10, Members receive 20% discount