Arts & Culture Talk:

presidential power, rolling back civil society and reforging an ideological state that he markets domestically as "great Russia"  Has his strategy to reverse territory losses and status left Russians in a betterplace-and at what price?  As American democracy struggles with encroaching authoritarianism, Russia, the country that has succumbed to it, offers a cautionary tale.  
Anastasia Edel came of age in the last decades of the Soviet Union and was witness to Gorbachev’s perestroika, collapse of the USSR and Russia’s wild transition to capitalism. A recipient of the British government’s Chevening award, Edel studied in England and moved permanently to the United States in 1997. She earned her MFA in Fiction from Pacific University in Oregon. Edel is a contributor to The New York Times, The New York Review of Books and Project Syndicate. She teaches Russian politics and history at the UC Berkeley Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. 
Join us for a drink or small bite beforehand in Morgan’s Bar & Lounge. Take a seat at the beautifully restored bar and sip on a hand-crafted cocktail while meeting other members and attendees.
Parking: street parking is available on the street after 6pm
$5 for members | $10 for non-members
*Tickets available up to one hour before the start of the event!