I'm Deonne Kahler, the founding editor of Desert Luz.
I'm a photographer and writer with a deep belief that the stories we tell about a place shape how we live in it. After years of working solo - traveling the country with a camera, publishing essays and articles, and building an audience for my own voice - I started Luminental, a nonprofit dedicated to amplifying creative voices in southern Arizona and beyond. Desert Luz is its first project: a bilingual arts and culture journal that celebrates and illuminates the people, landscapes, and communities of this region.
The voice here is celebratory and illuminating. We’re not interested in puff pieces or stale content. We’re interested in the real deal: the painter in her studio, the borderlands storyteller, the mixed media artist using traditional materials in a fresh way. The desert isn’t empty. It’s full, vibrant, and it speaks. We’re here to listen and to publish what we hear.
I didn’t come to this work by accident. My background is in creative writing (MFA, New York), professional photography, journalism, education, and small business. I spent years as a solo entrepreneur and creative, as well as teaching entrepreneurship and writing, before realizing I wanted to grow something much larger than myself. That building process is ongoing, deeply imperfect, and the hardest work I've ever done. I’m still learning how to be a founder instead of a lone wolf. Some days I get it right. Some days I want to hide in my camper van with the dogs and a strong beverage. Either way, I keep showing up.
I didn’t come to this work by accident. My background is in creative writing (MFA, New York), professional photography, journalism, education, and small business. I spent years as a solo entrepreneur and creative, as well as teaching entrepreneurship and writing, before realizing I wanted to grow something much larger than myself. That building process is ongoing, deeply imperfect, and the hardest work I've ever done. I’m still learning how to be a founder instead of a lone wolf. Some days I get it right. Some days I want to hide in my camper van with the dogs and a strong beverage. Either way, I keep showing up.
Desert Luz is edited from the borderlands between southern Arizona and northern Mexico, with an eye toward the Indigenous, Mexican, and Anglo histories that have shaped this land. I believe in bilingual publishing not as a gesture but as a practice. The region's deeper history belongs to the Tohono O'odham, the Pascua Yaqui, and the many peoples who have stewarded this desert long before any of us arrived. We name that, we honor it, and we do our best to earn the right to publish here.
Thank you for reading. If you want to be part of this, subscribe, submit, or get in touch.
My motto has always been: Life is short. Don't wait.
Julie Bonner
Fractional Creative Director
Julie believes the most meaningful work happens when creativity and purpose come together. As an educator, entrepreneur, and creative strategist, she has dedicated her career to helping people discover the strength in their unique perspectives and tell their stories with confidence. At Desert Luz, she leads the journal's creative vision and marketing strategy, helping cultivate a brand that celebrates the artists, writers, and cultural voices that make the Sonoran Desert extraordinary.
The Team Behind Desert Luz
Jessica believes communities are strengthened when people have the opportunity to be heard. That belief has guided her work in supporting local businesses, advocating for accessibility in higher education, and now helping build Desert Luz. As Fractional Chief Operating Officer, she helps build the systems and strategy that allow the journal to elevate the artists, writers, and storytellers who celebrate the beauty, culture, and spirit of the Sonoran Desert.
Jessica Barfield
Fractional Cheif Operating Officer
We're building the inaugural issue of Desert Luz and invite writers, poets, photographers, and visual artists to submit original work rooted in the Sonoran Desert and the US–Mexico borderlands.
We believe the stories of this place deserve care—and the artists who tell them deserve to be paid. Every published contributor receives an honorarium in recognition of their work.
Review our Contributor Guidelines, then submit your work for editorial consideration.
READY TO GET INVOLVED?