Meet Karolina Letunova, a 2024 COURAGE to WRITE Writer of Note working on her novel, Siberian Summer.
Spanning a century in Western Siberia and two weeks in WA state, Siberian Summer is about immigrant Rita’s lifelong bond with a friend she left behind and a protector doll who refuses to protect her.
Karolina grew up in Western Siberia. Her writing probes the nexus of female immigration, time, and loneliness. She explores syntactic and narrative ways to show how extreme geographical distance distorts an immigrant’s reality, displaces living people into the future or the past.
“I hope this book honors women’s experiences erased in Russia and gives an experience of connection to readers who might also grieve a choice they don’t regret.”
An exciting update from Karolina: “The de Groot funding made it possible for me to travel to Alaska for Storyknife, a fantastic artist residency that has immensely catalyzed my novel revision.”
Karolina recently started a newsletter with reading faves and resources for fellow writers. You can sign up on her website, www.karolinaletunova.com.