Alligators and Email

Every other month for the past 24 years, I have spent a week or so up to my eyeballs in alligators working with our writers, editors, translators, photographers, etc., pulling together the final threads that we weave together into a bimonthly issue of Russian Life.

It mostly stopped being stressful about 10 years ago, but it has never stopped being interesting and invigorating. I always learn something new and fascinating. And there is nothing to compare with the completely tolerable lightness of being that settles on you after signing an issue off to press.

We do what we do for a number of reasons. Yes, it does provide something like a livable income. But, more importantly, we are driven by a passion to tell interesting stories about the most interesting country on Earth. And it helps that we are egged on by our passionate readers – there is nothing that can help me get through the “alligator days” like a customer calling to renew a subscription, and then mentioning how much they love what we do.

Well, this fall we received the most moving reader letter we have received in 24 years.

I wanted to share a story with you about how special your magazine is.

My name is Ariel, and my wife Adrienne has gotten a subscription for me in Seattle for a long time. Years ago, my father was visiting me from NY and saw the magazine on my coffee table, and he said he liked it very much. We are both big history buffs. So I promised him I would send him each issue after I finished reading it. For years, I would mail him the magazine, tape a note to the cover, and he loved getting them. My father passed away on Friday 9/13, and my family and I each got to put 1 item in the casket with him. I chose an issue of Russian Life with a note taped to the cover, so he has something to read in heaven. He was a great man, wry smart, loved, and with a thirst for knowledge, and through your magazine we had a special bond. I just thought I should share this with you.

Thanks,

Ariel Weber

Thank you to all our readers, who continue to support us in this crazy endeavor.

And, are you wondering about the cover image? It’s the second in a four-part series of covers by illustrator Asya Lisina. Each is focusing on a different season. This one is for winter, with some wry thoughts on global warming. It is a riff on a classic Russian painting, reproduced on the opposite page.

Enjoy the issue!