Welcome!
We're launching Desire Lines Collective, an online mountain writing community, a newsletter, and a print journal dedicated to elevating women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming writers of mountain literature. A counter to clickbait and the status quo in outdoor media, Desire Lines will offer digital and print platforms for underrepresented storytellers seeking to push the creative boundaries of the genre.
We publish stories and artwork, share resources, and host workshops.
We are a movement. A challenge to the colonial narratives that overshadow outdoor culture. A platform for gritty, alternative stories left out of glossy expedition recaps and heroic conquest tales. A call for greater empathy toward all members of mountain communities, both human and more-than-human. A crucible for literary innovation. An eruption of unfettered visions of what adventure can be.
When you become a paid subscriber to Desire Lines, you’re supporting free community access to our online stories, helping subsidize discounts and scholarships for those who can’t otherwise afford our events and workshops, and ensuring that every Desire Lines contributor is paid for their work. You’re also helping us to work toward completing our goal of an annual print journal, which we aim to keep ad-light while maintaining complete editorial independence.
Why Desire Lines?
Desire Lines are natural pathways that humans and other living beings create as they leave behind established routes to follow their longings, seeking the edges of a glacial lake, a skyline of sharp pinnacles, or the glow of hidden dreams. Such lines also exist in mountain literature, charting visions beyond the guidelines and assumptions of a dominant canon.
When women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming writers share their own mountain stories, they transform topographies of adventure long defined by men, and they illuminate new ranges of possibility for all people.
As fantasy writer Ursula K. Le Guin once declared:
“If you’re underneath, if you’re kept down, you break out, you subvert. We are volcanoes…. All the maps change. There are new mountains.”
we believe that great literature can respond to the current crises and that mountain stories can help navigate uncertainty and inspire resistance. Out of the stewardship and love that adventurers can learn to practice in the wild, visions of a better future can arise.
We intend to platform authentic and diverse mountain-themed stories and artwork from women, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming outdoorspeople—and pay them fairly and promptly for their work. You won’t find AI-generated content in our pages, only pure, human creativity with all its spirit and soul. Our newsletters will feature short essays, book reviews, poems, artwork, recommended reads, and community resources.
Who we are
Thank you for joining us on this journey to trace alternative paths and build a supportive community.
Please visit our website, follow us on Instagram, Bluesky and Facebook and get in touch on hello@desirelinescollective.com with suggestions or submissions for the newsletter (writing, photography, cartoons etc.—and if you like what we're doing, please share!).
Become a paid subscriber and help us provide free access to online content, ensure every Desire Lines contributor is paid for their work and support our goal of an annual print journal!