Black Mountain Institute

06/05/2026

We have news to share: we are leaving BMI. Yes, all three of us.

But know that things are looking bright for us: Joshua was promoted into a new and expanded communications role at UNLV; Charlotte is headed to Iowa City, where she'll serve as Administrative Services Manager, Academic and Program Operations for the Iowa Writers' Workshop; and Colette will spend the next year in New Mexico at the Taos Center for the Arts as their Strategy and Development Director.

We also want to celebrate our colleagues Kellen and Kim who left earlier this year for new opportunities, and Lynn who is soaking up the sun in her new retirement. The accomplishments of the past four years wouldn't have been possible without all of us.

Our colleague Mark Padoongpatt recently shared with us that his mentor George Lipsitz likes to say: "when we walk the same path we'll see each other again down the road."

The work continues.

06/04/2026

And that’s a wrap on BMI’s 20th anniversary season! 🎬 Our special thanks to Nadir Sarıbacak for sharing his beautiful film Gazelle with all of us; to Maryam Ala Amjadi for her interpretations and insight; and Hüseyin S. Arıkan for facilitating the conversation and making this event possible.

It was a great year, and we appreciate that you were along with us for it. We love celebrating writers – what they say, how they say it, what they make us think, how they make us feel about the world. The artists and writers we celebrated this past year visited for a few days, lived here for a year, some were born here, and some never want to leave. We were glad to support all of them and Las Vegas.

📸: Norma Jean Ortega

06/01/2026

BMI's selection committee, composed of individuals from the BMI team, faculty from UNLV and community members, has identified two recipients for the BMI-Kluge Fellowship for 2026-2027: Jamel Brinkley and Laura Villareal.

The BMI-Kluge Fellowship is designed to give writers the time and resources to advance a research-driven project while connecting their work to broader audiences. The fellowship includes two weeks of research at the John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., followed by a visit to Las Vegas to present public programs in partnership with BMI and UNLV.

(Jamel Brinkley photo by Daniele Molajoli)

05/26/2026

Next week, join us at the Beverly Theater for our final BMI Live event of our 20th anniversary season: a screening of Gazelle with special guest – and the film’s co-writer, co-director, and lead actor – Nadir Sarıbacak.

After the film, Sarıbacak will participate in a moderated conversation with BMI City of Asylum Fellow Maryam Ala Amjadi followed by an audience Q&A and reception.

$0 tickets are running low. Click here to get yours: https://tinyurl.com/BMIGazelle

05/20/2026

We're seeing double. 😵‍💫 Isle McElroy and Isle McElroy joined us in the liminal space between dimensions to answer their own questions about their upcoming novel, writing about s*x, and unsettling encounters they've had in Las Vegas cocktail bars.

05/18/2026

Update ✨ 🎞️ Gazelle – A Screening and Conversation with Special Guest Nadir Sarıbacak (June 2, 2026 at the Beverly Theater)

Please join us for our final BMI Live event of our 20th anniversary season: a screening of Gazelle with special guest – and the film’s co-writer, co-director, and lead actor – Nadir Sarıbacak.

After the film, Sarıbacak will participate in a moderated conversation with BMI City of Asylum Fellow Maryam Ala Amjadi followed by an audience Q&A and reception.

Click here for $0 tickets: https://tinyurl.com/BMIGazelle

05/11/2026

Be careful around the eyes. 🌶️ BMI Library Sessions: KB Brookins (Spicy BBQ Edition) is now available on our YouTube channel.

Hey, what's going on everyone? For UNLV's Black Mountain Institute, you're watching the BMI Library Sessions: the show with hot questions, and even hotter BB...

05/08/2026

JUST ANNOUNCED 🎞️ Gazelle – A Screening and Conversation with Special Guest Nadir Sarıbacak (June 2, 2026 at the Beverly Theater)

Please join us for our final BMI Live event of our 20th anniversary season: a screening of Gazelle with special guest – and the film’s co-writer, co-director, and lead actor – Nadir Sarıbacak. Gazelle follows Yakup, an immigrant alone in New York who clings to hope of reunion. As the wait drags on, his grip on time and reality begins to slip, pulling him deeper into a fragile and unsettling inner world. Drawing from lived experiences of exile and displacement, Gazelle unfolds as an intimate psychological drama of separation, resilience, and the fragile terrain of the human mind.

After the film, Sarıbacak will participate in a moderated conversation and audience Q&A, which will be followed by a reception.

Click here for $0 tickets: https://tinyurl.com/BMIGazelle

05/07/2026

On this day in BMI History - Walter Mosley (May 7, 2015)

Eleven years ago today, novelist Walter Mosley delivered the inaugural Jim Rogers Contrarian Lecture at UNLV — a big moment for UNLV, BMI, and dramatic hand-on-face poses. Then BMI Artistic Director Maile Chapman recalled the conversation in an interview with UNLV Magazine: “The topic was higher education, but [Mosley] spoke to a large extent about race — and it was fascinating. I haven’t spoken to anyone who had a neutral reaction to that. He really woke people up in their seats.”

📸: Aaron Mayes/UNLV Photo Services