The False Promise of Desert Agriculture by Russell Clemings
Laurence and John Alexis have once again graciously offered to host our Desert Book Club. They have picked some fantastic books for us the last 3 years, and this month they are letting me choose the book, Mirage by Russell Clemings, subtitled: The False Promise of Desert Agriculture. I have been aware of this book for quite a while now, and am eager to read it and hear what others are thinking about this important topic.
Come join us on April 2nd at 7:00pm at Mother House, a very special space Laurence and John Alexis have dedicated to spiritual practice. To find Mother house from downtown JT, drive north on Sunburst from Hwy. 62, turn right on Golden, turn left on Border, keep an eye out for Pole and Del Oro roads, then turn left on Winters (sign on the left) and drive 1 1/4 mile on dirt to Shangri La and turn left. Mother House will be on your right in less than a quarter mile, look for the big white Book Club sign to guide you to the correct driveway. —Kip
Every month from October 2014 until March 2020, Kip’s Desert Book Club gathered on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in the home of a different resident of the Morongo Basin to discuss a book that in one way or another touches on the theme of “desert”.
Since the start of the pandemic, Kip has been hard at work making renovations to the kitchen and bathrooms at Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center, where he is the board President, and keeping their monthly USDA food drive alive. During this time, Kip’s Desert Book Club had largely been on pause, with the exception of a few virtual meetings. These virtual gatherings allowed us to welcome the participation of book club fans from beyond our local region.
Sixty-six books, more than seven years, and one pandemic later, Kip has decided to step back from being the primary book club organizer and join the rest of us as readers. Kip, we thank you for all the wonderful and eclectic desert books you’ve chosen over the years, as well as the unforgettable stories and knowledge you continue to share (if you know, you know!)
So, we are excited to announce that beginning in January 2022, our in-person book club will resume as the Desert Research Library Book Club (or DRL Book Club, for short). Each month, a member of the current Desert Research Library Artist Cohort will select a book from the library as that month’s book club selection.
