Forbidden Love in Dark Times

Friday, May 23

Gitwit

301 E Archer St, Tulsa, OK 74120

6:00 - 7:00 PM

Doors Open at 5:30 PM

Eastern European desserts and tea will be served.

The poet Derek Mong and translator Anne O. Fisher have long collaborated on projects that draw on their respective strengths. This year they have released two independent books that are, in surprising, complex, rewarding ways, deeply resonant with each other. Fisher's translation of a star-crossed gay romance set in the Soviet Union in 1986, "Pioneer Summer”—co-written by Ukrainian Katerina Sylvanova and Russian Elena Malisova—and Mong's new collection of verse, "When the Earth Flies Into the Sun," both speak to the sustaining power and persistence of love in times of political repression and ecological disaster. They will read from their work, discuss their collaboration, and touch on the state of poetry and translation in the US, Ukraine, and Russia. Co-presented by Tulsa Artist Fellowship and Magic City Books.

will have books by the authors available for purchase at the event.

About Derek Mong

Derek Mong is the author of three poetry collections from Saturnalia Books—Other Romes, The Identity Thief, and When the Earth Flies into the Sun (2024)—as well as a chapbook, The Ego and the Empiricist, from Two Sylvias Press. Individual poems, essays, and translations have appeared widely: the LA Times, the Boston Globe, the Kenyon Review, Blackbird, Free Inquiry, Pleiades, Verse Daily, and the New England Review. He and his wife, Anne O. Fisher, received the Cliff Becker Translation Award for The Joyous Science: Selected Poems of Maxim Amelin (White Pine Press). They also co-edit the literary journal, At Length. He currently chairs the English Department at Wabash College and serves as a contributing editor for Zócalo Public Square.

About Anne O. Fisher

Russian to English translator Anne O. Fisher’s recent publications include excerpts from Alex Averbuch’s long poem “The Last Letter of My Body” in Words Without Borders and Plume. Her most recent translated book, apart from the forthcoming Pioneer Summer, is Ukraine, War, Love: A Donetsk Diary by Ukrainian writer, journalist, and historian Olena Stiazhkina (Harvard UP, 2024). Fisher has also translated books by Ksenia Buksha, Ilf and Petrov, and – together with her husband, poet Derek Mong – Maxim Amelin. Her shorter published translations include journalism by Shura Burtin, non-fiction by Sigizmund Krzhizhakovsky, drama and stories by Julia Lukshina, and fiction by Ilya Danishevsky. Fisher is a past president of the American Literary Translators Association. Fisher and her husband, poet Derek Mong, are the incoming co-editors of the literary journal At Length.

About Boris Dralyuk

Boris Dralyuk is the author of My Hollywood and Other Poems (2022), editor of 1917: Stories and Poems from the Russian Revolution (2016), co-editor of The Penguin Book of Russian Poetry (2015), and translator of volumes by Isaac Babel, Andrey Kurkov, Leo Tolstoy, and other authors. He is the recipient of the 2024 Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the 2022 Gregg Barrios Book in Translation Prize from the National Book Critics Circle and of the 2020 Kukula Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Book Reviewing from the Washington Monthly. He is the former editor in chief of the Los Angeles Review of Books, and his poems, translations, and essays have appeared in The New York Review of Books, the Times Literary Supplement, The New Yorker, Granta, Best American Poetry 2023, and elsewhere. He teaches courses in literature and creative writing at the University of Tulsa and is a 2024-2026 Tulsa Artist Fellowship Awardee.

About Magic City

Magic City Books is an independent bookstore owned by the nonprofit Tulsa Literary Coalition. We specialize in literary and popular fiction and narrative nonfiction for adults. We also offer carefully curated sections for children and teens. We want Magic City Books to be your “third place,” the place besides home and work where you feel most comfortable. Come visit us, attend a literary program or author event, and get to know our knowledgeable and well-read staff.

About Tulsa Artist Fellowship

Established in 2015, Tulsa Artist Fellowship was created as a place-based initiative by the George Kaiser Family Foundation (GKFF) that addresses pressing challenges faced by contemporary artists and arts workers living in and joining Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tulsa Artist Fellowship believes the arts are critical to advancing cultural citizenship and supports community-invested practitioners who intentionally engage with our city.

Our exhibitions and events are free, documented, and archived.

About Gitwit

Gitwit is a full-service innovation agency that leverages deep insights to launch and grow brands, digital products, and companies. They offer a comprehensive suite of services including insights and consulting, product development, and marketing strategies, all aimed at creating bold, growth-focused strategies and content. With over 80 ventures and products launched across various industries, Gitwit positions itself as a custom idea factory, adept at navigating the complexities of innovation and delivering extraordinary value to clients. Their unique approach combines creativity with data-driven insights, making them a valuable partner for businesses looking to enhance their market presence and customer engagement.

Visitor Experience

Street parking around Gitwit (301 E Archer St, Tulsa) is free after 5 PM on weekdays and all day on weekends. Seating for events is in an auditorium-style setting. Gitwit provides wheelchair accessibility to the first floor and restrooms. A lift is available for vertical access.

Also check out other Arts events in Tulsa, Literary Art events in Tulsa, Performances in Tulsa.