About the Website

In the Soviet Union, and in today’s Russia, a popular forum to discuss the news  is in the kitchen. People gather in small groups over tea, vodka, and Napoleon cake to discuss the political, social, and cultural issues of the day.  

Recent geopolitical events have greatly biased the American public’s views of Russia and Russians in America.  This project came out of a desire to portray different voices in our community and create a place where the community could gather in the same kind of atmosphere of curiosity, enthusiasm, and warmth to discuss who we are as a people.

We envision it as a space for and by Americans with Soviet roots to share our lives, our experiences, and our culture.

We are always looking for contributions, and you can email us: privet@ironedcurtains.com. To see more about submission guidelines, check here.

Welcome, privet, pull up a chair, and have some cake and a cup of tea.

About the Ironed Curtains Team 

We are a group of people working on this project in our spare time. We come from all different walks of life, and different immigration experiences.

Doodles by Anna

Anna

Anna immigrated from Kiev, Ukraine with her parents in 1989. She is a visual artist by education and profession, but occasionally dares to dabble in written words. In her natural habitat, she is often seen painting, cooking, chugging down coffee and text messaging all at the same time.

She currently lives in the Wild Wild West with her family.

Jane 

Jane’s family came to the US from Moscow, Russia in the mid-1990s at the very tail end of the waves of Soviet Jewry. A journalist by training, Jane has been a professional Jew for the last ten years. She and her family live in Chicago.

Lana

Lana arrived from Russia with her parents in 1990, and settled in New York. She studied psychology in college, works in the field of online media and web development, and plays pipe organ and harpsichord for fun. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her human and cat family.

Mariya

Whenever Mariya is not chasing after her energetic toddler she teaches undergraduate philosophy courses at CUNY. After a few years in web design and a brief stint as a personal chef Mariya turned her attention to classical Indian dance, yoga and the study of Sanskrit. She feels that partaking in a plethora of diverse experiences makes her a better philosopher and a more sensitive educator.

Nelly

Nelly first immigrated from Moscow, Russia with her mom and brother in 1991. After living here for a year she decided life was too good and moved back to Moscow. Fast forward many years and a nightmare of an immigration journey, and she is back here living it up in the boonies with her two kids and parents. A linguist and translator by profession, she teaches and writes articles on the side while dodging her kids’ elbows and knees – often with unsuccessful but hilarious results.

Olga 

Olga immigrated to America when she was 11 from Belarus.  She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, kids, and dog and works in education.  She loves to travel and read, and hopes to never stop learning.

Vicki 

Vicki immigrated to America when she was 5 from Russia. She lives in the Philadelphia area and is living the Russian immigrant dream by work in IT, mores specifically the data/development space. In her spare time she enjoys wrangling her toddler, reading, and Nutella.