Maria Alyokhina is a Russian political activist. She is a member of the anti-Putinist all-female art collective Pussy Riot. On August 17, 2012, she was convicted of “hooliganism motivated by religious hatred” for a performance in Moscow’s Cathedral of Christ the Savior and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment. She has been recognized as a political prisoner by the Union of Solidarity with Political Prisoners. Amnesty International named her a prisoner of conscience due to “the severity of the response of the Russian authorities.” At the time of her arrest, Alyokhina was a fourth-year student at the Institute of Journalism and Creative Writing in Moscow, where she participated in the literature courses of Dmitry Vedenyapin and Alexey Kubrik. She is a published poet. She has been involved in environmental activism with Greenpeace Russia, opposing development projects in the Khimki Forest, and was a volunteer at the Children’s Psychiatric Hospital in Moscow.
Anna Halberstadt has published many works in the field of psychology but has found poetry to be a more adequate and condensed way to expand on the same themes—growing up as a child of Holocaust survivors in a country still struggling with past trauma, living in three countries (Lithuania, Russia, U.S.), and immigration. Her creative work has been published by Alabama Literary Review, Alembic, Amarillo Bay, Atlanta Review, Bluestem, Caliban, Cimarron Review, Cosmonauts Avenue, Forge, Good Men Project, Hawaii Pacific Review, Lilith, and elsewhere, and translations of her poems in several Lithuanian journals. Her poetry in Russian was published in the international anthology “Nash Krym” (KRiK, New York) in 2014. Her translations have been published in St.Petersburg Review, Quarterly West, and elsewhere. Her collection of poetry “Vilnius Diary” was published in the Mudfish Individual Poet Series in 2014. Her collection in Russian “Transit” was recently published by West-Consulting, Moscow.
Anna Halberstadt has published many works in the field of psychology but has found poetry to be a more adequate and condensed way to expand on the same themes—growing up as a child of Holocaust survivors in a country still struggling with past trauma, living in three countries (Lithuania, Russia, U.S.), and immigration. Her creative work has been published by Alabama Literary Review, Alembic, Amarillo Bay, Atlanta Review, Bluestem, Caliban, Cimarron Review, Cosmonauts Avenue, Forge, Good Men Project, Hawaii Pacific Review, Lilith, and elsewhere, and translations of her poems in several Lithuanian journals. Her poetry in Russian was published in the international anthology “Nash Krym” (KRiK, New York) in 2014. Her translations have been published in St.Petersburg Review, Quarterly West, and elsewhere. Her collection of poetry “Vilnius Diary” was published in the Mudfish Individual Poet Series in 2014. Her collection in Russian “Transit” was recently published by West-Consulting, Moscow.
"We trembled"
"investigation- fear"
"I can see the hole in the chest cavity"
…
We trembled Then we were told we had to live. This life got imprinted in our heads and turned into itself. The kids left we found what we could give them and it was fine. Recently there was a cold night cool dawn and sleep There are a few of us not a hair not a handful not an inch we will yield to you and the conscience was crushed, the garbage can taken out. Мы дрожали А потом нам сказали жить Эта жизнь отпечаталась в голове И стала сама по себе дети ушли мы нашли что дарить им и ладно недавно был вечер холодный рассвет прохладный и сон нас немного ни пряди ни горсти ни пяди не дадим вам и совесть смяли корзину вынесли вон
…
investigation- fear What broke us? - against drops, against walls. Did we appear to anyone afterwards? Only to you alone, oh God. And You protect my hand When I will throw the millet of words. And I will betray right away- wait for me at the embankment on the shore, I’ll make sure I escape from them. Следствие – страх О что мы? – Разбились о капли, о стены. Явились ли после кому? Только, Боже, тебе одному. И храни мою руку Когда просо слов Брошу И предам сразу же – жди меня на набережной на берегу у я от них убегу
…
I can see the hole in the chest cavity when I look at the enormous black sky and sit on a branch. Night does not resist black water runs I imagine shooting stars between the ribs them beginning to settle there. Stars are tickling inside blooming and simply exist there will be tons of them instead of a soul they will kiss the empty void inside me and befriend each other. I will bend my head to watch them like fish get back inside the ones that jump on my collar-bones. The river under my feet is black and supple feet are sinking in it and it goes on forever. There is no spring here. It is transparent and there’s mountain air. There is no summer, because the day never rises stars continue falling into me – it lasts forever the night lies as if I already was gone. Дыру в грудной клетке становится видно когда Я смотрю на огромное чёрное небо и сижу на ветке Ночь не сопротивляется чёрная течёт вода Я представляю как звёзды падают Между ребер. начинают там жить среди них звёзды щекочут внутри расцветают и существуют Они будут много и вместо души Они пустоту внутри меня расцелуют И станут между собой дружить А я наклонять голову рассматривать их как рыбок Сажать обратно тех кто прыгает на ключицы Река под ногами моими черна и гибкая Ноги уходят в неё а она длится и длится Нет весны здесь. Только прозрачно и горный воздух Нет лета, потому что не наступает день Продолжают вечно падать в меня звёзды Ночь обманывает как будто меня уже нету
