Dear neighbors,

After years of intensive work, the Henry Miller Library is poised to implement a series of critical capital improvements to ensure our long-term operations and sustainability, including:

• Installing handicapped bathroom access ramps
• Implementing handicapped parking adjacent to Highway 1
• Installing a new public water system
• Remediating long-standing encroachment issues involving the Library’s water well and office building, which are located on our neighbor’s property
• Purchasing part of the canyon behind the Library, known as Graves Canyon, which we plan to transform into a botanical garden that includes a small ceremony/meditation/reading site for the public

This has been a long time coming, and donations through the Monterey County Gives! campaign — which will be partially matched by the Community Foundation of Monterey Country — will help us get across the finish line.

Your support also enable us to provide events, most of which are either free or by donation, next year and beyond.

Highlights from 2024 include:

• The Big Sur Fashion Show (that’s the whole crew to the right!)
• The Big Share Fish Fry and Fine Pie Fundraiser
• “Why Jack Kerouac Still Matters” with Steve Edington and Neal Cassady’s daughter Jami Cassady
• A screening of “Common Ground,” an award-winning film about regenerative agriculture
•  Shakespeare’s “A Midsummers Night’s Dream!” performed by Monterey’s Enchantrhix
• “Big Sur Congregation” with neighbor and founding Beach Boy Al Jardine (!)
• BiG SuRCuS’ presents’s “Corazón Cabaret” (two nights!)
• “Jaime DeAngulo: The Old Coyote of Big Sur” with authors Mary Kerr and Andrew Schelling!

…and much more!

And we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention A Big Sur Podcast’s 26 episodes in 2024, including chats with “The Natural History of Big Sur” author Don Usner, Big Sur Health Center’s Sharen Carey and wildfire expert Chad Hanson.

Make no mistake: We can’t do this without you!

So from all of us at the Henry Miller Library, thanks for your support. We hope to see you down the coast soon and are excited to explore the Library’s exciting new chapter with you!

All the best,

Magnus Toren

Executive Director 

Henry Miller Memorial Library

Tax ID# Fed. EIN 77-0473818
State resale # SR GHC 97315514
DUNS # 827035437
State Account #: 444-2546-0