Claire Vaye Watkins' Desert Novel Highlights Solar Development Impact

Writer Claire Vaye Watkins lives in the Mojave Desert near Death Valley and discusses the harsh, beautiful environment in a Fresh Air interview. Her latest novel, Yellow Pine, is set in that landscape and follows a small community of misfits and drifters who protest a large‑scale solar‑energy project that is damaging the desert ecosystem.

Watkins notes the area’s history of exploitation, from nearby Nevada nuclear‑test sites to the current "green energy gold rush." She also reflects on her personal background, including her father Paul Watkins, a former member of the Manson Family, and how those experiences shape her view of environmental justice and the need for careful decarbonisation.