WELCOME TO CARTA

Dear CARTA Community,

The unforgettable memories and jubilant emotions of the 25th CARTA Conference are still fresh in the minds of the attendees, and yet it has been almost a year since those remarkable three days of joy, professionalism, friendship, and festivities. I will now try to recapture those days that ‘shook the world of Russian Studies” in the American heartland and beyond.

The celebration started with the opening Reception hosted by Oklahoma City University. The Local Chair for the Conference, Sabina Amanbayeva, secured a delicious meal for the guests and a ballroom for the activities that evening. The entertainment program was opened by Horseshoe Road, a world-known violin duo of Kyle Dillingham and Peter Markes. Their virtuoso performance of American and Russian songs captivated the audience with very receptive listeners in the group who sang along «Не уходи, побудь со мною...».

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Next on the program was “Anna and the Boys”, a local choir group, consisting of Anna Gentle and her six sons. They sang several folk and more modern Russian songs. Then Anna invited everybody to join her in a round dance. That was a lot of fun! Students for East Central University then presented a skit on The House that Jack Built based on the exceptional translation by Samuil Marshak.

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That performance was followed by the definite highlight of the evening, a smashing show by the CARTA Ensemble, led by Olga Scarborough. As it appeared, a number of popular Russian songs mentioned CARTA (you can see the texts further on in the Newsletter). The group composed of Harold Schefski, Valentina Iepuri, Tatiana Scanlan, and Olga galvanized the audience with their heartfelt performance. Several of the verses were encored on request from the attendees. The music man, Rudy Lupinski, from ECU, was at the piano assisting the performers and through the evening contributing to the uplifting spirit. The Reception set a festive mood that was preserved throughout the entire Conference.

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On Friday morning, we heard from our esteemed international colleagues who joined the Conference via Zoom. Saturday was filled with high-quality papers on Methods of teaching, Literature, culture, and the use of technology. Exhibitors were available to offer their products and programs.

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At noon the 25th CARTA Anniversary Luncheon started. After a delicious meal Sally and Mara “opened” CARTA’s archives and unveiled the CARTA Chronicles capturing CARTA’s successes and achievements during the course of a quarter of a century. They went on to pay tribute to dozens and dozens of Russian language educators and friends outside the profession without whose support, dedication, and generosity the association would not have survived and excelled.

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CARTA’s poets, Al Turner and Zhenya Yevtushenko, composed verses in honor of the occasion (see the texts later). The CARTA and OCTR Awards were presented, the Poetry Recital winners were announced, and newly inducted Lifetime members were introduced.

A Strawberry Romanoff dessert was very appropriate for the Coffee Break. The day concluded with Zhenya Yevtushenko and Matt Magerkurth touching and beautiful poetry and music performance dedicated to the memory of Yevgeny Yevtushenko. After all of the scheduled activities were over, some participants went to explore the beautifully renovated downtown Oklahoma City, while others gathered in Mara’s room to continue with an informal celebration that lasted almost until midnight… Indeed, the movable feast.

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The following day featured more exceptional sessions, excellent door prizes, and a dramatic CARTA Auction. Harold Schefski provided a commemorative Russian coin which several people really wanted and bargained passionately for. The intensity remained high in the bidding for the other two lots- a beautiful handmade stuffed dog, donated by Masha Yevtushenko, and a full collection of Harry Potter books in Russian contributed by James Beale.

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It was hard to say goodbye to old and new friends and to hospitable Oklahoma City. The warmth and sincerity of all Conference activities will be among my most cherished memories and hopefully those of all attendees.

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I want to express my deep gratitude to the CARTA Board, all presenters and exhibitors, donors and guests, performers, and volunteers for making the 25th CARTA Anniversary celebration a truly unforgettable event!

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CARTA lives on! Our upcoming Conference has in store high-quality papers and excellent cultural activities.

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I look forward to seeing and greeting you in Tulsa in April.

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Mara Sukholutskaya, CARTA President