The Joshua Tree Residency for Artists & Writers was founded by Nedjelko Spaich in 2026.

Nedjelko Spaich

Nedjelko Spaich is a writer based in Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, California. His short fiction has been published in Jellyfish Review, Maudlin House, storySouth, and elsewhere. His non-fiction appears in LAist, LA Weekly, and Los Angeles Review of Books. He is a lead reader for Okay Donkey Magazine, a graduate of Bennington College, and currently at work on his first novel. Read his work at nedjelkospaich.com.

JTRAW’s Selection Committee includes:

Lena Valencia

Lena Valencia is the author of the short story collection Mystery Lights (Tin House Books / Dead Ink Books), which was longlisted for the Story Prize, named a Best Short Story Collection of 2024 by Electric Literature, and a Best Horror Book of 2024 by Esquire. Her fiction has appeared in BOMB, The Baffler, Electric Literature, Ninth Letter, Epiphany, the anthology Tiny Nightmares, and elsewhere. Her writing has been supported by the Elizabeth George Foundation and the Convent Arts Fellowship. She holds an MFA in fiction from The New School and is the director of educational programming at One Story. ​She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.