Black Mountain Institute

The institute provides various fellowships, programs, community events, and spaces in order to foster the literary arts in Las Vegas, specifically with an emphasis on climate and environmental narratives.

[4] Soon after, several staff at the Black Mountain Institute and its Believer magazine penned an open letter contesting the Times report, stating that the Shenk incident was not an isolated event but rather one in a much longer history of "inappropriate and disrespectful behavior that belies a chronic lack of care and concern for the comfort, boundaries, and safety of the staff".

Past fellows have included Syl Cheney-Coker, a writer from Sierra Leone; Er Tai Gao, an artist from China; and Jorge Olivera Castillo, a formerly incarcerated independent journalist from Cuba.

[8][7][9] The fellowship was started in 2001 by Sarah Ralston and professor Richard Wiley with help from various writers and community members, including Wole Soyinka.

[10] Every year, the institute hosts a festival at various venues in downtown Las Vegas featuring writing, music, film, and visual arts.

Previous events have featured authors like Teju Cole, Diana Khoi Nguyen, Pemi Aguda, Danzy Senna, André Aciman, Vi Khi Nao, and Stephen Bright.