Apr 9, 2019
Annelies Kuiper is of Dutch descent, born in
Kenya, Africa eight years before Kenya received it's independence
from Britain. With no rights to Kenyan citizenship, it was
difficult to find work so Annelies made the difficult decision to
leave and has only been back to Kenya twice since
1974.
Annelise found work with a large hotel chain,
which took her to Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Johannesburg,
eventually landing in 'romantic' Palm Springs where she lived for
11 years, playing golf and enjoying the resort hotel
amenities. After ending
a second relationship, Annelies wanted to 'fall off the earth' and
a friend recommended she move to the hi-desert.
In this episode,
Annelies tells me how she found her place in north Joshua Tree:
Copper Mountain Mesa. Heartbroken and disillusioned, it was a place
where she could scream as loud as she wanted and no one would call
the police. A place where she could once again find and be her
authentic self.
On the
mesa, Annelies had the sudden urge to write and in six months time
wrote two books. 'Kenya Cowgirl!' and 'Stay Well
Kenya Cowgirl', the first a fictionalized version of her formative
years in Africa.
Six years ago, Annelies decided to
return to school - starting at Copper Mountain College in Joshua
Tree and transferring to UC San Diego, from where she recently
graduated with a degree in Communications and Media Studies.
Annelies has partnered with artist
Andrea Zittel and High Desert
Test Sites to publish a book of short stories that will be arriving
in Spring 2019.
In the meantime, you can keep up with
Annelies and the goings on in her 'little community' of Copper
Mountain Mesa through her weekly column in the Hi-Desert Star
'Weekender', available for free on Saturdays.
Links for Annelies:
https://www.amazon.com/Kenya-Cowgirl/dp/0963039709