"From Saratov to the 'Silver Screen'" with Marina Alexandrova

In this episode, Matt talks with Marina Alexandrova about her challenges coming to America from Russia, and the art of teaching Russian culture as a talented and creative professor at the University of Texas at Austin. ABOUT THE GUEST: Voted one of UT's Top Ten Professors (which is a big deal), Dr. Marina Alexandrova was born and raised in Saratov, Russia. She received her MA equivalent in English from Saratov State University, and her PhD in Comparative Literature (Russian and Spanish American Literatures) from the University of Texas at Austin. Her dissertation analyzes the formation of the literary public spheres in Russia and Argentina, focusing on the avant-garde literary groups and their complex interactions with the state. Dr. Alexandrova's current research interests include the art and literature of Russian modernism and avant-garde, the history of Russian food production and consumption, and Russian radical and revolutionary movements. During Spring 2018, Dr. Alexandrova taught her new course "Advanced Russian through Drama," which culminated in student production of Vladimir Mayakovsky's controversial comedy "Bedbug" (1928). Watch clips from the performance here: https://utexas.app.box.com/s/c5yxguq40pznz9tg721vea0u0xvqo3w0. Visit Dr. Alexandrova's guest page on our site https://www.slavxradio.com/guests/marina for more. NOTE: Episode recorded September 20, 2019 at the University of Texas at Austin. CREDITS Co-Producer: Matthew Orr (Connect: facebook.com/orrrmatthew) Co-Producer: Tom Rehnquist (Connect: facebook.com/thomas.rehnquist) Supervising Producer: Katya Yegorov-Crate (Connect: facebook.com/furthestconstellationofmysoul) Associate Producer/Host: Lera Toropin (Connect: www.facebook.com/ltoropin) Executive Editor/Music Producer: Charlie Harper (Connect: facebook.com/charlie.harper.1485 Instagram: @charlieharpermusic) www.charlieharpermusic.com Executive Producer & Creator: Michelle Daniel (Connect: facebook.com/mdanielgeraci Instagram: @michelledaniel86) www.msdaniel.com Follow The Slavic Connexion on Instagram: @slavxradio, Twitter: @SlavXRadio, and on Facebook: facebook.com/slavxradio . Visit www.slavxradio.com for more episodes and information. Special Guest: Marina Alexandrova (Марина Александрова).