This is Black Mountain Institute Conversations, an interview series produced by Nevada Public Radio’s Desert Companion in collaboration with the Black Mountain Institute. Every so often, we talk with BMI’s Fellows about their time in Las Vegas, their experience at UNLV, and — of course — their writing.
Our guest today is the inaugural recipient of Black Mountain Institute’s new 117° Fellowship. It brings one writer to Las Vegas for a summer residency in June and July.
This writer’s name is Muriel Leung. Based in LA, Muriel teaches creative writing and critical studies at the California Institute of the Arts. She’s also the award-winning author of several short stories and poems, as well as a new novel, titled How to Fall in Love in a Time of Unnameable Disaster. W.W. Norton and Company published the book in late 2024. The story follows Mira and her eccentric companions (ghosts, cockroaches, and all) as they navigate tenuous romantic and familial relationships amid an apocalypse.
