Author Ahmed Naji reads onstage during the Believer Festival at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas, April 26, 2019. The third annual Believer Festival was just the latest sign of life for a burgeoning books scene in the desert.

Roger Kisby / The New York Times

Author Ahmed Naji reads onstage during the Believer Festival at Red Rock Canyon in Las Vegas, April 26, 2019. The third annual Believer Festival was just the latest sign of life for a burgeoning books scene in the desert.