Ten Years of White Nights -- Summer Literary Seminars

For the last ten years, writers of fiction, non-fiction and poetry have converged on St. Petersburg, Russia, for the Summer Literary Seminars. They have attended workshops, talks and readings led by some of the most significant writers in North America and Russia--people like Aimee Bender, Robert Coover, Robert Creeley, Dave Eggers, Mary Gaitskill, Robert Haas, Denis Johnson, Sam Lipsyte, William Meredith, Francine Prose, George Saunders, Anthony Swofford, and many more. But what proves to be a life-altering element of SLS in Russia is the city of St. Petersburg, described by Mikhail Iossel (founding director of SLS) as:

"...a decidedly surreal stage that, at any given point in time, is many different cities in one: it is a city of starchy imperial granite facades and mega-majestic Italianate palazzos, peeling lemon-yellow facades, decrepit litter-strewn stray cat-owned inner courtyards (whose entirety forms a veritable city within a city), desolate echoing silences, long vertical shadows at midnight, empty water-bound perspectives, low Arctic sky, blinding glare of the unseen afternoon sun, ostentatious (banana republic-style) opulence and equally fantastic poverty; it is a city that never sleeps during the fleeting summer months...It is a city of inordinate, staggering beauty borne out of profound sadness. An unforgettable city."

This video tries to capture the epic mystique of the city and its impact on the participants of the Summer Literary Seminars in Russia. It was shot during the tenth anniversary session (summer, 2008).

Learn more about the Program at www.sumlitsem.org.

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[BardofCornwall]

Sounds good. I see my friend Stephanie Yorke in one shot!

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