SERVICE AND PROGRAMMING

In addition to my work as a scholar and teacher, I enjoy collaborating with others to advance and support Slavic Studies and the Humanities.

In the Tri-Co, I have organized numerous guest lectures, a teach-in on the centennial of the October Revolution, and a symposium on the state of Russian Studies today.

Please click on the posters (most designed by me) and images below to expand them to full size. You may play the videos in thumbnail size or click the titles to open them on YouTube.

Voices from the Eastern European Anthropocene Lecture Series (Fall 2021 - Spring 2022)

Galina Rymbu

Galina Rymbu is a leading voice in Russian eco-poetics. The recipient of the 2017 Poetry Without Borders Festival Prize among other major honors, Rymbu’s poetry sheds light on the relationship between inequality, environmental destruction, and collective liberation. Rymbu read her work and delivered a presentation about eco-poetics in the context of the Russian literary/philosophical tradition of engagement with the environment.

Angelina Davydova

Environmental grassroots activism has been on the rise across various regions in Russia over the last few years. Many such local “green” campaigns have also proven to be successful, even in Russia's restrictive political regime, usually rather oppressive towards civil society groups. In this talk, Angelina Davydova spoke about environmental movements in Russia, the topics and causes they're working on, their forms of self-organizing, their strategies, and their results.

Swarthmore Project for Eastern European Relations Lecture Series (Fall 2019)
Activism under Totalitarianism

Swarthmore Project for Eastern European Relations Lecture Series (Spring 2019)
Tomorrow’s Europe

Swarthmore Project for Eastern European Relations Lecture Series (Fall 2018)
Tomorrow’s Europe

Mikhail Shishkin: Migration Stories & the Refugee Crisis (April 25, 2018)

After working as an interpreter for refugees seeking asylum at the Swiss border, emigre-dissident Mikhail Shishkin incorporated this experience into his novel Maidenhair. The stories he presents offer a more human(e) perspective that encourages empathy, that transcends statistics by delving deep into the stories of the displaced, and that emphasizes the power of storytelling as a means to transform our perceptions and sympathies. In addition to his reading at Swarthmore, Shishkin visited Russian 053 to discuss his more recent novel, The Light and the Dark.

Besieged Cities & the Poetics of Trauma
A Lecture and Reading with Polina Barskova (April 12, 2018)

In her work both as a cultural historian of the Leningrad siege and as one of Russia’s leading poets, Polina Barskova explores the connections between art, trauma, and history. Through her lecture, we learned about how poetry both shapes and is shaped by urban catastrophes. Through her poetry reading, we witnessed this artistry in action. Barskova also visited Russian 053 to speak with students about her work.

Afterlives of Revolution: Russia Today in Context (Oct. 17, 2017)

There has never been a more crucial time to understand Russia. On the occasion of the October Revolution’s centennial, we invite the Swarthmore community to a teach-in devoted to Russia, “a riddle wrapped in an enigma.” Why do 1917 and its lasting effects matter, and what role does Russia play in today’s world? Join us for a wide-ranging discussion on these questions and more. This special panel will address a range of topics: history, music, gender studies, women’s rights, contemporary literature, politics, and art. 

Featuring Emily Frey (Russian, Swarthmore), Kristen Ghodsee (Russian, UPenn), Kevin Platt (Russian, UPenn), José Vergara (Russian, Swarthmore), and Robert Weinberg (History, Swarthmore).