Join an embedded reporter as he discovers what makes this emerging American counterculture tick!

“Tribes of Burning Man” was named the Bronze Winner of the 2011 Sharp Writ
“Best Nonfiction Book of the Year.”

From its anarchic early days to its present dreams of world domination, this is the untold story of Burning Man—the most popular, unique, and enduring countercultural event of recent times in which alternative lifestyle enthusiasts erect a giant statue and construct a temporary city to live in for about a week in the Nevada desert. Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world have made the dusty pilgrimage to Black Rock City to take part in this experiment in participatory art, gift culture, and bacchanalian celebration—and many say their lives were fundamentally changed by the experience. The Tribes of Burning Man offers an insider’s view of what makes this dynamic event tick. This current look at the expansion of the lifestyle reveals how in recent years Burning Man has taken on a new character, with the frontier becoming a real city and the many tribes of the event—the fire artists, circus freaks, music lovers, do-gooders, grungy builders, and myriad other burner collectives—developing a perennial presence in sister cities all over the world. Chronicling Burning Man’s renaissance years from 2004 to the present, this epic journey features some of the culture’s most inspiring and colorful leaders and is a search for meaning in the most unexpected places. Discover within the pages of The Tribes of Burning Man assorted artist groups that work from the artist workshops American Steel, The Shipyard, The Box Shop, CELLspace, NIMBY Warehouse, and other Bay Area workspaces and art collectives, as well as interviews with internationally acclaimed DJs Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Lee Coombs, Dylan Rhymes, DJ Dan, Christopher Lawrence, Scumfrog, Syd Gris, and more. Plus a candid, six-year running conversation with Burning Man founder Larry Harvey.