Waterston Desert Writing Prize
Naseem Rakha – 2017 Prize Winner
Naseem Rakha’s proposal, “Searching for the Soul of Creation,” focused on the desert tortoise. She intends to explore what we must do to support the desert tortoise and its habitat so that it does not vanish into pure myth, as well as what the desert tortoise and its habitat teach about intention and quiet.
Rakha is a geologist, educator, speaker, and award winning author and journalist whose novel, The Crying Tree, has earned international acclaim for its frank examination of crime, punishment, sexual identity and forgiveness. Naseem’s commentaries can be found in The Guardian and she was a contributor to National Public Radio. When not writing, Naseem spends her time hiking, climbing, rafting and photographing areas throughout the American West. Her work can also be found in the Los Angeles Review and Gold Man Review. Naseem is currently working on a new novel. She lives in Oregon with her husband and son, dog, cats and snake.