The 2024 Asilomar Literary Festival is a nonprofit organization created by Russian expats in Sacramento, California, to promote the participation of Russian artists abroad in the global literary landscape. The festival, organized with support from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, will feature authors of prose, poetry, and nonfiction, as well as an exhibition commemorating Pyotr Ershov, the author of “The Little Humpbacked Horse.” Contemporary artist Igor Ponochevny will also present his paintings and graphics collection, Portrait of the Era.
The festival was first held in 2022 at the Asilomar Conference Grounds, established and funded by the Russian Library and Cultural Center in Sacramento. The festival is directed towards the Russian community and the multicultural Monterey Peninsula population, which is interested in the current Russian government. Monterey County has 2,007 Russian residents and 611 Ukrainians, with an increase due to the political situation in Russia and Eastern Europe.
Organizers Taissia Suvorova and Sergey Protasov chose Monterey County to host the festival due to its inspiring atmosphere and intellectually vibrant community. They do not endorse the actions of the Russian government and express sincere sympathy for the current situation in Ukraine. The festival aims to foster better mutual understanding and promote friendly relations between Russian and Ukrainian-speaking people.
The writers who will be presented include those who were published in Literary America, especially from Issue No. 9. For more information about the writers, visit litamerica.us.
Carmel-Based Digital Artist Corinne Whitaker
NFT Art Gallery in Carmel
