Introducing the Russian Life Community

“The print magazine is still a beautiful, portable, storable, slide-it-into-your-bag-able technology.”

The New Yorker magazine, on the launch of their iPad App

One of the more interesting aspects of editing Russian Life is the unexpected, serendipitous connections we witness as an issue comes together. For example:

• It was Columbus Day when we made final edits to the article about Russian apocalyptic fears in the year 1492.

• The War of 1812 kept appearing unexpectedly. While we knew it would come up in thes article on treasure hunters and the death of Alexander I, the review of Pavel Basinsky’s book, Survival Russian, and my own review of Dominic Lieven’s book jumped into the issue of their own accord.

• The highly similar images on pages 39 and 60 were selected by two different individuals for very different reasons, and we didn’t notice the coincidence until just before going to print.

In reality, each issue of Russian Life is a mixture of long-term planning, countless mid-course adjustments and spectacular good luck. The planning begins about six months before publication, with the designation of features we would like to see appear in that issue. In the interim, however, sometimes stories planned for one issue get swapped with stories planned for another issue.

That is what happened with the lead story for this issue, which we “promoted” from March/April 2011 when an article for the present issue got sidelined by this summer’s fires. And we’re glad to be able to bring this story to light sooner. Because it highlights in a very concrete, human way some of the changes that are moving Russian society.

Similarly, Anna Dymkovets’ story about a band of private archaeologists (The Napoleon Code, page 46) offers a very personal look at some passionate and committed individuals.

Frankly, I can’t get enough of these kinds of stories, where we look beyond the “big” stories rumbling through “mainstream” headlines to discover how people are living their lives, what is important to them. I hope you agree.

Which brings me to the great quote at the head of this column. Magazines offer a uniquely tactile, portable, shareable, and visual interactivity – a multi-dimensional way to connect with one’s interest in a subject.

On the other hand, as a hopeless technophile, I would love for us to be announcing the release of an iPad App for Russian Life. It might not have tens of thousands of users, but it would be really cool… Absent New Yorker- or Wired-depth pockets for development, however, that dream will have to wait.

Yet greater interaction does not have to wait. So we are excited to announce the launch of the Russian Life Community, online at russianlife.org (note: that is .org, not .com).

This is not a social network, a mini-Facebook. It is something much richer. It is meant to be a mirror of this magazine in the virtual world: a place where readers, Russophiles and Russians all over the world can gather on an equal plane to share their interests, passions, opinions, photos and experiences in a deeper, more  timely and meaningful way.

Please join us. Bring your interests and personal stories to this new online community. It will make us all the richer.

Meanwhile, enjoy the issue.