(Note, all the meetings listed below of the first three seasons were held when the ELE was called
the "English Language Discussion Club" [ELDC].)
All those listed below gave of their time and energy to speak gratis to the ELE,
for which they are thanked!
There are 6 "seasons", below; some nearly 60 speakerss.
FIRST SEASON:
Conversations with:
-- Matt Bivens � Chief Editor The Moscow Times.
-- Arteom Soloveychik � Chief Editor The First of September (������ C�������).
-- Katherine Yemelyanov � Assistant Cultural Attache US Embassy, Topic: Feminism, Moscow
-- Rod McCloud/Dimitri Fedosov � Scottish Club Moscow, �Scotland�Russia�.
-- Andrew Harding � BBC Correspondent.
-- Tatyana Morozova � Institute of World Literature, Topic: Russia�s View of America.
-- John Brown � US Cultural Attache, US Embassy, Moscow.
SECOND SEASON:
Lectures:
October 21, 1999:
Professor Eve Adler, Professor Middlebury College
�Nihilism � American and Russian Style�
November 18, 1999:
John Brown, US Cultural Attache
�Reinventing Oneself in Contemporary America�
January 27, 2000:
Steven Taylor, Country Director Peace Corps
�Globalization in the 21st Century � What Do You Need to Know?�
February 10, 2000:
Johanna Kowitz, English Language Officer, Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer,
American Embassy Moscow,
"What Makes an American an American?"
February 24, 2000:
Simon Winetroube, English Language Officer � British Council Moscow
�The Future of English�
March 23, 2000:
John Brown, Cultural Attache � US Embassy
�The Work Ethic in America�
April 13, 2000:
John Helmer, Moscow Tribune
�The Death and Resurrection of Journalism in Russia�
May 11, 2000:
Simon Clanaman, BBC Russian Service, Managing Editor Moscow Office
�The BBC in Russia�
May 25, 2000:
Peter Heinlein, VOA Moscow Bureau Chief
�Five Years is Not Enough�
THIRD SEASON:
October 25, 2000:
David J. Firestein, Deputy Press Attache, U.S. Embassy,
�Whatever It Takes: The Making of the Next American President�
November 9, 2000:
David Wansbrough, Australian Poet and Author,
�An Australian Poet Experiences the Spirituality of Russia�
November 22, 2000:
Tim Douglas, Peace Corps Country Director, Russia,
�Alligators at My Neck: Experiences of an American Mayor�
December 14, 2000:
Scott Blacklin, President � America Chamber of Commerce in Russia,
�Russian and American Political and Economic Patterns: A Historical Perspective�
2001
January 12, 2001:
Sonya Pace, VOA Bureau Chief,
�Telling Russia�s Story to the World�
February 9, 2001:
Ajai Goyal, President � The Russia Journal,
�The Negative Image of Russia in the Western News Media�
February 23, 2001:
Robert Goeckel, Ph.D. Harvard, Fulbright Scholar,
�Religion in Public Life: A US-Russian Comparison�
March 16, 2001:
David Firestein, US Embassy Moscow,
�The Bear and the Dragon: Russian and Chinese Cultural Commonalties and Differences�
March 30, 2001:
Pamela Spratlen, US Embassy,
�Walking and Talking for Freedom: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.�
April 13, 2001:
Tim Douglas, Peace Corps Country Director Russia,
�Volunteer Culture in Russia�
April 18, 2001:
Thomas Meyer, Author, Lecturer, Publisher,
"Huntington and Steiner on Russia and the West � Is the �Clash of Civilizations� Inevitable?�
April 27, 2001:
Tom Walsh, Deputy Director Education and Regions, British Council Russia,
�The United Kingdom in 2001 � A Country of Nations�
May 11, 2001:
Dr. John Chittick, Ph. D. Harvard University,
�Cultural Differences in the Understanding and Prevention of AIDS�
May 25, 2001:
Mark Luz, McGill University, Central European University, White & Case law firm,
"Competing Visions of Canada: Quebec Nationalism and Canadian Identity"
June 1, 2001:
John Freedman, Theater Critic for The Moscow Times,
�The Theater Scene in Moscow�
FOURTH SEASON:
October 5, 2001:
Johanna Kowitz
Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer, Public Affairs Section, American Embassy Moscow
"Seeing the Spirit: One American's View of Russia"
October 16, 2001:
Elizabeth Heresch
Austrian Journalist and Author of Nine Books on Russia
�Russia and the European Union�
November 9, 2001:
Susan King
Associate Director, John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Moscow
"Philanthropy in Russia"
November 16, 2001:
John Helmer
The Longest Serving Western Correspondent in Russia
"Stealing The Truth - How To Read, And Not To Read, The Press In Russia"
December 7, 2001:
Steven Rosenberg
BBC Correspondent Moscow
"Covering the News in Russia"
December 14, 2001:
Ajai Goyal
President Russia Journal
"The State of Russian Democracy- Do Russians Deserve Democracy or Dictatorship"
2002:
January 11, 2002:
Tatiana Venediktova
Moscow State University
"H. D. Thoreau and F. M. Dostoyevsky: Communication 'in the Higher Sense"
January 25, 2002:
Robert Nurick
Director, Carnegie Moscow Center (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace)
"Counter-Terrorism and Civil Liberties -- the US Debates"
February 8, 2002:
David Firestein
Political Section, US Embassy Russia
"George W. Bush: Year One in the White House"
February 22, 2002:
Dr. Toby Clyman
Professor of Russian Literature SUNY;
Director - Center of Russia and the United States, Moscow State University
"Nineteenth Century Russian Women's Autobiographies"
March 12, 2002:
Marlene Thorn Taber, PhD
"The Commercial Theater in New York City"
March 22, 2002:
Michel Hallot
Visiting Professor of Literature, MPSU
"The Television Landscape in the USA: MTV, Fragmentation and Free Speech"
April 12, 2002:
David Firestein, Political Section US Embassy Moscow
"God, Family, Boots, and Beer: Contemporary Country Music and the American Idea"
April 26, 2002:
Christopher Ohan,
Ph.D. Humanities, Fulbright Scholar, Visiting Lecturer MGIMO
"Globalization and the Teaching of History: The Triumph of Relativism"
May 21, 2002:
Sonya Pace,
VOA Bureau Chief, Moscow
"Impressions of Post-Taliban Afganistan"
May 31, 2002:
David Firestein, US Embassy -- Political Section
"Parting Thoughts on a Changing Moscow, 1998-2002"
FIFTH SEASON:
October 14, 2002:
Dr. William Lan Craig (Research Professor of Philosophy
at Talbot School of Theology in La Mirada, California)
�The Ultimate Question of Origins: God and the Beginning of the Universe�
October 18, 2002:
Geoffe Meade, British Sky News Broadcasting Correspondent
�The First Casualty -- the Life and Reporting Experiences of a TV
Correspondent in Danger Zones�
November 11, 2002:
Laura Kakko, Political Section Finnish Embassy Russia
"Finland and Russia -- a Border Dividing, a Border Uniting"
November 22, 2002:
Ruth Petzold, Ph D, Assistant Cultural Affairs Officer for English Language Programs,
US Embassy Russia
�Murderer, Means, Mania, or Mother Tongue?�
December 6, 2002
Karen Fox, PhD., Professor Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, California (Silicon Valley);
and Fulbright Lecturer, Plekhanov Russian Academy of Economics, Moscow.
"From the Industrial Economy to the Service Economy to the Knowledge Economy:
Transitions that Reshape Our World"
�Around the English-Speaking World Lecture Series":
December 16, 2002:
His Excellency Mr. James Sharkey, Ambassador of Ireland
LECTURE/RECEPTION IN THE EMBASSY OF IRELAND.
"Modern Ireland"
2003
January 24, 2003
Cynthia Warren, English Language Fellow (US State Dept), Irkutsk
"American West--Russian East: Historical Parallels"
February 14, 2003:
Justine Braithwaite, Australian Embassy Moscow - Cultural Attache
"The Kangaroo and the Bear:
Australia and Russia in the Asia Pacific"
February 21, 2003:
Mr. Satbir Singh, Director Indian Cultural Center Moscow
�Prospects of Indian-Russian Cultural Relations�
March 14, 2003:
His Excellency Dr. Joseph Cassar,
Ambassador of Malta to the Russian Federation
�Malta at the Crossroads of Civilizations�
April 11, 2003:
James Warlick,
Consul-General US Embassy Moscow
�US-Russian Relations Since September 11�
April 25, 2003:
Mark Sleboda,
Chair, Democrats Abroad, Russia
�Analysis of the Iraqi War�
May 16, 2003:
Lynn Berry, Editor, The Moscow Times
A Conversation with Lynn Berry
May 23, 2003:
James Warlick,
Consul-General, US Embassy Moscow
"The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll"
May 28, 2003:
Heather McGill,
Amnesty International
Development Officer,
International Secretariat, London
"Globalizing Justice: Amnesty International in the World"
SIXTH SEASON:
November 26, 2003
Ambassador of South Africa His Excellency Dr Mochubela Jacob Seekoe
�On the Eve of Ten Years of Democracy in South Africa�,
December 10, 2003
Michele Berdy, Moscow Times columnist and professional translator
"The Bilingual Mind: Culture, Language and Personality in Russian and English"
2004
February 13, 2004
Professor Greg Garvey,
Associate Professor at SUNY
State University of New York) and Co-Director of the Center of Russia and the
US at Moscow State University
"Ralph Waldo Emerson and American Liberalism"
February 27, 2004
Ed Salazar US Cultural Attache to Moscow
will lead a discussion titled:
"What Do Americans Mean When They Talk About Values?"
APRIL 2, 2004
by Dennis Whelan
Visiting Scholar (Russian Studies) Dartmouth College, and Senior Partner and Director of the Center for Russian Law
�In the Maw of the Mouse:
Disney, RIAA, and the Ever-expanding World of Copyright�
FRIDAY APRIL 23, 2004
by John Helmer
The longest-serving Western correspondent in Moscow
"Dancing With Bears:
Why You Can't Understand Russian Politics By Reading"
Friday May 21, 2004
The last meeting of ELE for this season will be a DISCUSSION held on at 19:00 titled:
"The Good, the Bad, the Ugly and the Beautiful: What Is Lost and
What Is Gained in Post-Soviet Russia"
moderated by Stephen Lapeyrouse, host of ELE.
Seventh Season:
OCTOBER 22, 2004:
SPEAKER CHANGE!
Lecturer:
Dan O'Grady
Deputy Cultural Attache
US Embassy Moscow
Title: The US Elections: What the Polls Don't Tell You
NOVEMBER 12, 2004
Lecturer:
Martha Steffens
Visiting Professor, Moscow State University
Chair of Business and Financial Journalism
University of Missouri
Title: Bad News from Russia: Why Fearful Journalists Can't Report the News
November 26, 2004:
Lecturer:
Masha Lipman
Pro and Contra Editor; monthly op-ed columnist for the Washington Post; often and regularly interviewed by major Western news media on Russia; contributor to many publications, e.g. New Yorker, Moscow Times.
Russia Groping for Self Identity: 1917, 1990, 1612
December 17, 2004:17, 2004:
Bruce Jones
First Secretary, Australian Embassy Moscow
Australia: Myth and Reality
2005
January 21, 2005:
John Brown
Institute for the Study of Diplomacy
Georgetown University
Washington DC
Re-Inventing Oneself in America -- Revisited
John Brown, when Cultural Attache to the US Embassy in Moscow in 1999 gave a lecture titled "Re-Inventing Oneself in America", and two others, to ELE. He since returned to live and work in the USA, eventually resigning from the US Foreign Service in protest of the then-pending US war in Iraq. Now at Georgetown University, he also contributes a monthly column on U.S. politics and current affairs to The Moscow Times.
February 11, 2005:
Mary Shea
American Councils, Future Leaders Exchange
(FLEX)-EURASIA Alumni Coordinator
An Evening with Some of New England's Legends:
Introducing Mark Twain, Henry Thoreau, Sojourner Truth, John F. Kennedy and a Few of Their Friends
February 25, 2005:
Kirsten Lodge
Fulbright-Hays Fellow to Russia
Columbia University Doctoral Candidate
Decadence in Russian Poetry
March 18, 2005 (Day after St. Patrick's Day)
John Walsh
Irish Lecturer
An Irish Journey: A Brief History of Ireland
April 1, 2005
David Wansbrough
Australian Poet, Author, Lecturer
Know the Dark Side: What is the Shadow of the Soul
(Note: this may be David's last visit to Russia.)
April 22, 2005
His Excellency Justin Harman
Irish Ambassador to Russia
Ireland: A Transformation
NOTE: THIS LECTURE WILL BE HELD AT THE IRISH EMBASSY. A PASSPORT IS REQUIRED FOR ENTRANCE.
Entrance after 18:30; lecture begins at 19:00.
Grokholski Pereulok 5, Moscow
Nearest Metro: Prospekt Mira
May 13, 2005
Myler Wilkinson
Adjunct Professor at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, where he teaches on Russian culture;
Director of the Centre for Russian and North American Studies and the Chair of the MIR Centre for Peace Council at Selkirk College in the Kootenay region of B.C.
The Blood of Slaves and the Green Stick:
A Canadian�s Life with Chekhov, Tolstoy and Babel
27 May, 2005
Francesca Carlin
Melanie Getreuer
Fulbright Fellows in Russia
The New Feminist: Men in Skirts and Dumb Blondes?
An Overview of Women in Politics and the Arts
Eighth Season
October 21, 2005
John Harrison, Editor Passport Magazine
"The '60s -- My View from the Inside"
19:00
November 11, 2005
Andrew Kuchins,
Director Carnegie Moscow Center
"Russia, China, and the USA: New Angles to the Triangle?"
19:00
November 25, 2005
Raymond Stultz
Classical Music, Ballet and Opera Critic for
The Moscow Times
"The Bolshoi Theater: Ups and Downs Over 230 Seasons"
19:00
December 23, 2005
ELE MEETS FRIDAY 23 DECEMBER
ELE will meet for an open conversation on the topic:
"Christmas and New Year:
What Do They Mean to You, Our Nations and Our Cultures?"
This will be an evening moderated by ELE host Stephen Lapeyrouse, where everyone will be able to come to the stage and express their personal views on this evening's topic.
19:00
2006
February 10, 2006
Tobias Bradford
Second Secretary, Public Affairs US Embassy Moscow
"Civil Society: the Roots of a Dynamic Community "
19:00
TUESDAY
February 21, 2006
Erin Bouma
Editor Newspaper English, English Language Teacher
"LESSONS LEARNED: What 15 years in Russia have taught an American"
Friday March 24, 2006
Dr. Bob Beatty
Assistant Professor of Political Science,
Washburn University
�US Politics and the Dynamics of the Iraq Conflict�
April 14, 2006
Piers Gladstone
Free-lance Travel Writer
"Inner States - The Story of a Journey to Discover What the American Flag Means to Americans"
April 21, 2006
Erin Bouma
Editor Newspaper English, Lecturer, English Language Teacher
"Discover America through its Literature � Historical and Regional Aspects of America Captured in Novels, Short Stories, Plays and Poetry"
May 12, 2006
Tobias Bradford,
Second Secretary, Public Affairs US Embassy Moscow
"The Roots of Terrorism"
May 26, 2006
John Bonar
Photo Journalist
"Across Russia in a Mad Winter Car Race"
An account of the 2006 Murmansk-Vladivostok Expedition Trophy car race, from February 23rd to Vladivostok on March 8th.
October 13, 2006
Irish Writers on Continental Europe during the
Second World War -- Samuel Beckett, James Joyce and Francis Stuart
Dr Niall Keogh
Visiting Lecturer in Department of History at MSU
October 20, 2006
Money: Comparing American and Russian Attitudes
Nadja Krylov
American Management Consultant and Seminar Leader
November 10, 2006
World War II Was Only Yesterday: The View from Berlin in the 1980's
Jeff Sexton
US Embassy, Deputy Cultural Officer
November 17, 2006
�Russia-NATO Relations: Moving Beyond Cultural Differences�
Lionel Ponsard
Deputy Director NATO Information Office Moscow
Lecture change: Michele Berdy's talk has been postponed till early 2007.
December 15, 2006
"An Octogenarian Journalist Looks Back at Changes in the World --
Growing Up in Different Eras and Witnessing a Global Paradigm Shift"
Charles Wiley
Veteran News Correspondent who has lectured in 100 countries, and had worldwide experiences since World War II.
October 13, 2006
Irish Writers on Continental Europe during the
Second World War -- Samuel Beckett, James Joyce and Francis Stuart
Dr Niall Keogh
Visiting Lecturer in Department of History at MSU
October 20, 2006
Money: Comparing American and Russian Attitudes
Nadja Krylov
American Management Consultant and Seminar Leader
November 10, 2006
World War II Was Only Yesterday: The View from Berlin in the 1980's
Jeff Sexton
US Embassy, Deputy Cultural Officer
November 17, 2006
Russia-NATO Relations: Moving Beyond Cultural Differences
Lionel Ponsard
Deputy Director NATO Information Office Moscow
December 15, 2006
An Octogenarian Journalist Looks Back at Changes in the World --
Growing Up in Different Eras and Witnessing a Global Paradigm Shift
Charles Wiley
Veteran News Correspondent who has lectured in 100 countries, and had worldwide experiences since World War II.
This is a lecture not to be missed!
2007
February 2, 2007
Communist Collapse, Currency Crash, and Petroleum Power: Impressions of a Foreign Correspondent in Moscow
James Rodgers
BBC Correspondent
February 9, 2007
Biography Evening: A Talk with Michele Berdy
Michele Berdy
Moscow Times' Columnist
March 2, 2007
Playing Don Giovanni
(The lecture will include some singing accompanied by piano!)
Boris Martinovich
Internationally-know bass-baritone
March 13, 2007
The Unknown Russia
Bill Gasperini
American CBS News Correspondent
April 6, 2007
Seeing Scotland: Historical Places and Themes
Ian Mitchell
Author of two books on Scotland and writer.
May 4, 2007
The Roots of US Foreign Policy
Bob Beatty
Associate Professor
Department of Political Science
Washburn University
May 11, 2007
How the US Stock Market Works
James Beatty
Financial Advisor and Business Owner
Senior Vice President, Investments - Beatty-Barber Group
Citigroup-Smith Barney
TUESDAY May 15, 2007
W. B. Yeats -- Poet for the Future
David Wansbrough
Australian Poet, Writer, Lecturer
One of the most popular ELE speakers -- now rarely in Moscow. Come early if you want a seat!
TUESDAY May 22, 2007
Ireland -- Present and Past
Mr Aidan Kirwan
Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Ireland to the Russian Federation
Charity Donation:
On the last meeting of this season, ELE will, as usual, donate the speakers' honoraria to a charity in Moscow. This time it will be donated to Big Brothers, Big Sisters in Moscow on behalf of the following speakers during the past two years: Bob Beatty, James Beatty, Michele Berdy, Tobias Bradford, Bill Gasperini, John Harrison, Niall Keogh, Nadja Krylov, Masha Lippmann, Boris Martinovich, Lionel Ponsard, James Rodgers, Jeff Sexton, Raymond Stultz, Charles Wiley.
IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN "BIG BROTHERS, BIG SISTERS" AND POSSIBLY VOLUNTEERING, AND WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION, CLICK HERE.
May 25, 2007
The Mysterious Wisdom of English Nursery Rhymes
David Wansbrough
Australian Poet, Writer, Lecturer
One of the most popular ELE speakers -- now rarely in Moscow. Come early if you want a seat!
ONE EXTRA TALK!
JUNE 8
The Loveliest Words in English -- Why Read Poetry?
David Wansbrough
10th Season
Chads, Soccer Moms and October 19, 2007
Cranky Yankees at Home and Abroad: Acting the Lives of J. Q. Adams, Daniel Webster, Calvin Coolidge, and Edward Everett
James Cooke
Actor, Historian, from Quincy, Massachusetts
November 2, 2007
The Role of Political Parties in the USA
Nicolas Katsakis
Political Section, US Embassy
November 16, 2007
Something temporarily gained, but something permanently lost: What happens when old cities like Moscow disappear?
Guy Archer
Editor, AmCham News
November 30, 2007
Women of the World
Monica Howkins
Vice President, International Women's Club, Moscow
December 14, 2007
The Scottish Enlightenment and the Rule of Law:
Reflections Then and Now, in Scotland and Russia
Ian Mitchell
Author and writer from Scotland
This will be the last talk of 2007.
2008
February 1, 2008
America�s Struggle to Understand Itself:
Rap, Blogging, Youthspeak and Spanglish
David Fay
English Language Officer, U.S. Embassy Moscow
February 15, 2008
Life in New Zealand
Rowena Hume
Deputy Head of Mission, New Zealand Embassy
March 7, 2008
Peter Kropotkin - Revolutionary Idea(l)s that Apply Today
Ross Hunter
Headmaster, English International School (Moscow)
March 14, 2008
The Body Phantastique:
Anatomy and Physiology
from the Point of View of Soul and Spirit
By Robert Stewart
Director of the Institute for
Advanced Homeopathic Studies,
Trained Waldorf Art History Teacher
April 11, 2008
Who is Barak Obama?
By Michael Cordy
Private Consultant
April 25, 2008
Why do people hate poetry?
David Wansbrough
Australian poet, author, lecturer
May 16, 2008
A Cabaret!: Moscow is mad! -- Reflections on Beautiful, Terrible, Wonderful, Mad Moscow
Rather than a simple lecture, David Wansbrough describes his May 16 evening "Moscow is mad!" as a "cabaret performance, with singers, storytelling, illusions and delusions...about life in Moscow"
David Wansbrough
Australian poet, author, lecturer
May 30, 2008
Highlights and Insights to 18 Years in Russia -- Thoughts at Departing
Erin Bouma
Freelance teacher, Teacher Trainer, Coursebook author, Leader of American Literature Discussion Club in Moscow
JUNE 24 TUESDAY
The Cabaret of Professor Woland!
David Wansbrough, poet and author
October 17, 2008
"Chads, Soccer Moms and Swing States:
A Glimpse of US Culture through 'Electionspeak'"
David Fay, English Language Officer, U.S. Embassy Moscow
October 31, 2008
"Green Development -- An Introduction"
John Harrison, British journalist with a specialisation in real estate. Editor Passport Magazine
November 14, 2008
"50 Years as a Translator"
George Watts, Translator, Announcer
November 21, 2008
"Who Was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi?"
By Charles Borden, Investment Banker, Author
TUESDAY December 9, 2008
"The History of the Irish Language"
Peter O'Conner, Consul, Embassy of Ireland
2009
January 23, 2009
"'Big-4' Firms and the Development of Real Estate Markets in Russia - A Guess to Where It Is Leading."
Gerald Gaige, Partner, Ernst & Young
February 6, 2009
"The Life of Alexander Solzhenitsyn"
Yermolai Solzhenitsyn
Managing Partner Moscow Office, McKinsey &Company
TUESDAY February 24, 2009
"The English Press in Russia"
Maxine Maters, Former Publisher Moscow Times, 20 year resident in Russia
March 6, 2009
"Being an American Serviceman"
Andrew Hardisty, Former non-comissioned officer, US Navy
March 27, 2009
"The International Space Station:
Russian-American Cooperation Leading a World-wide Partnership in Space"
Mark A. Bowman, M.S., Manager, Moscow Technical Liaison Office (MTLO)
Deputy Director, NASA's Human Space Flight Program-Russia (HSFP-R)
TUESDAY April 7, 2009
"The Evolution of Consciousness as 'Pictured' in the History of Art"
Slide Show and Presentation by
Robert Stewart, Waldorf Teacher, Lecturer
TUESDAY April 21, 2009
�Space Shuttle Flight-118: A Mission to Build the International Space Station�
Slide Show and Presentation
Benjamin Alvin Drew, Jr. (Colonel, USAF), NASA Astronaut (12 days in space in 2007)
Director of NASA Operations at ��� (Gagarin Center for Cosmonaut Preparation)
May 15, 2009
�Scotland, Scotch and Scots Humour�
Ian Mitchell,
Scottish Author
May 29, 2009
"Paul Robeson: the Artist as Political Casualty"
Helen Campbell, Author and Lecturer