“The Cheburashka Collective is a group of women and non-binary writers whose identity has been shaped by immigration from the Soviet Union to the United States. On April 27, 2019, six members of the group, which is named for a beloved Soviet cartoon character, gathered in Philadelphia’s Penn Book Center for a poetry reading. Meduza in English news editor Hilah Kohen sat down with five of those poets before the event. They discussed what shared immigrant experiences can do for collectives, what collectivity can do for poetry, and what poetry can do for our world today. The “Cheburashki” also shared seven of their recent poems, which are reprinted below this interview with the kind permission of their publishers.”
Category: Poetry
Natalya Sukhonos, “Lost in the Stars”
From The American Journal of Poetry,
An Odessan trickster-musician in a stylish blazer
and aviator sunglasses, he had a penchant for
bringing home packs of friends at odd hours of the night.
Now he blasts the Russian version of Fox News,
eats fried meat every morning,
spends countless hours online
trying to sell real estate.
Barging into my apartment <… >
