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Wide-Open Desert 2023
Wide-Open Desert: A Queer History of New Mexico is a non-fiction work written by Jordan Biro Walters and published in 2023 by University of Washington Press. The book explores the queer community in New Mexico during the twentieth century. It covers the Taos Society and the 1969 Love-Lust controversy, while also profiling painter Agnes "Agnes" Sims, author Walter Willard "Spud" Johnson, activist Harry Hay, and artists Agnes Martin and Hastíín Klah.
Reviewers highlighted Biro Water’s detailed portrayal and emphasis on the connections between White, Latino, and Indigenous queer groups. They also appreciated her attention to queer individuals living outside major urban centers like Santa Fe. One reviewer in Pacific Historical Review suggested the book might have benefited from greater focus on Chicana lesbians.
The Western Historical Quarterly identified central ideas in Biro Walters’ research as "creative expression and mobility." The Southwestern Historical Quarterly commended how Biro Walters approached the links between art, culture, and queer activism. A critic pointed out that the book used a "wide source base," incorporating documents, newspapers, interviews, art, and erotic photography.
Details
- Publisher
- University of Washington Press
- ISBN
- 9780295751016
- Pages
- 296
