Sergiy Tomilenko, the president of the largest journalistic association – the Union of Journalists of Ukraine - joined Viktor Kovalenko to talk about press freedom, relations between media and the government of President Zelensky, issues with press accreditations for foreign journalists, and war-time media solidarity. // You can support this podcas…

UKR: Голова Національної спілки журналістів України Сергій Томіленко розмовляє з автором подкасту Віктором Коваленком про те, як війна Росії проти України позначилася на медійниках та ЗМІ, що відбувається із безпекою журналістів, як визволити деяких медійників з полону, та як підходити до вирішення етичних непорозумінь із тими, хто ще зовсім недавн…

Vladislav Davidzon, a writer, translator, and critic joins Viktor Kovalenko to discuss the cultural and political transformations in Ukraine during the ongoing Russian war. We discussed the first days of the Russian invasion, his magazine the Odessa Review and his book From Odessa With Love, how he burned his Russian passport in front of the Russia…

Peter Dickinson, the Kyiv-based British publisher of the English-language news magazine and website Business Ukraine joins this episode. We talked about what’s important to understand as we approach the one-year mark of Russia's Ukraine invasion. Peter described daily life in the war-torn country and how Ukrainians got used to the war. He answered …

In this episode, my guest was Brian Mefford, a US expat from Kyiv who lives and works there for almost 23 years. We talked about Brian’s life and business during the Russian war against Ukraine, his relief project Help Ukraine 22 Operation Palyanytsya for those affected by the war, and what the Americans should understand about the modern Ukrainian…

Adrian Karatnycky, a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center (USA) joins this podcast episode. As the Russian war approaches the year mark, we discussed the major positive outcomes for Ukraine due to its heroic resistance. Mr. Karatnycky explained why the Russian elites are so hateful and genocidal in pursuing their occ…

The guest of this episode is Brian Bonner, a former chief editor of the Kyiv Post, the English-language weekly newspaper in Ukraine. He is an American national from Minnesota who resides in Kyiv since the end of the 90s. It was a pure luck to interview Mr. Bonner between electricity outages in the Ukrainian capital city caused by the Russian missil…

In this podcast episode David Stulik, a senior analyst in European Values Center for Security Policy think tank (Czech Republic) and a former diplomat of the European Union in Ukraine talks with Viktor Kovalenko about what Europeans think about the Russian war against Ukraine. For twelve years, Mr. Stulík served in Kyiv as the press and information…

Dr. Charles Kupchan, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (USA) and professor at Georgetown University (Washington D.C.) discusses with a journalist Viktor Kovalenko his ideas on how to bring Russia and Ukraine to the negotiating table in the middle of the war. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from …

Dr. Steven Seegel, a Slavic and Eurasian Studies professor at the University of Texas at Austin (USA), talks with a journalist Viktor Kovalenko about his February 24th Archive, a social media project exploring the Russian war and about what the US academia does and could do to support Ukraine. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKoval…

Dr. J Andres Gannon, a Stanton nuclear security fellow from the Council on Foreign Relations (New York city, USA) talks about the Russian nuclear threats, a game of brinkmanship, and occupation of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https:…

Ian Kelly, a former US Ambassador to OSCE and Georgia, and currently an Ambassador in Residence at Northwestern University (Illinois) talks about unexpected Russian war against Ukraine, why the West didn't help Kyiv in 2014, Ukraine's NATO aspirations, a disputed Nagorny Karabakh region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and perspectives of Ukraine's …

Mart Kuldkepp, an Estonian historian and Scandinavianist from University College London (UK) talks about Sweden, Finland, and Estonia in the context of the Russian war against Ukraine and legacy of Mikhail Gorbachev in the Baltic countries. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast…

Petro Burkovskyy, an executive director of the Ilko Kucheriv's Democratic Initiatives Foundation (Ukraine) talks about Ukrainian resistance, recent sociological surveys, and informational war. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukrain…

Dr. Cüneyt Gürer, a professor from George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies talks about the interests and behavior of Turkey during the Russia-Ukraine war. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

A German historian Dr. Jan Claas Behrends talks about Germany and its relations with Russia and Ukraine. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support

Olexander Scherba, a former Ukraine's Ambassador to Austria and a political speechwriter explains the policy mistakes of the western countries regarding Ukraine. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

Dr. Alexander Lanoszka from Canada explains defensive alliances around Russia and Ukraine. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko Sound from Zapsplat.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support

Brian Porter-Szűcs, a history professor at the University of Michigan (US) talks about Poland and how this neighbor helps Ukraine during the war with Russia. / / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

Eugene Bondarenko, a lecturer in the Ukrainian language at the University of Michigan (US) talks about Ukrainian cultural resistance in times of the war against Russia. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

A British energy expert Dr. Lawrence Haar from the University of Brighton (UK) talks about the western sanctions on Russian oil and gas. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

Jaroslava Barbieri, a doctoral researcher at the University of Birmingham (UK) talks about what Russia does on the occupied territories in Ukraine. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

Dr. Natalya Chernyshova, a senior lecturer in history at the University of Winchester (UK) talks about the role of Belarus in the Russian war against Ukraine. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

The wartime story of the Ukrainian Snake Island in the Black Sea beginning from its capture in February 2022 till the Russians left it in June 2022. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

Dr. Alexander Motyl, a Pol. Sci. professor and a historian from Rutgers University (New Jersey, USA) talks about tectonic geopolitical shifts caused by the Russian war against Ukraine. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decod…

Adrian Bonenberger, a US Army veteran and an author talks about the Russian war against Ukraine and what do Americans think about it. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

A Ukrainian military expert, a retired Col. of the Ukrainian Security Service Mykhailo Prytula describes what western weapons Ukraine needs. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support…

Chuck Pfarrer, a former US Navy SEAL and bestselling author discusses the recent developments in the war in Ukraine. / Support this podcast by donating to PayPal.me/MrKovalenko / Sound from Zapsplat.com--- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ukraine-decoded/support

Improbable Players uses theater performances and workshops to address addiction, alcoholism, and the opioid epidemic. The troupe is comprised of actors who are themselves in recovery from substance addiction. Their former Executive Director Andy Short shares what it means to do destigmatizing and prevention work in schools. “Theater people, we love…

In late 2019, we spoke to Doneeca Thurston, the newly-named Director of Lynn Museum/Lynn Arts. The 29-year-old Lynn native said her new role felt like a homecoming. She shares her vision for how the museum can be a champion for its majority minority community and ensure that local artists feel respected and celebrated. Doneeca Thurston … Continue r…

Sandra Bonnici is a Senior Diversity Fellow for the American Alliance of Museums and a diversity and inclusion consultant. She says that doing the work to make a cultural organization diverse and inclusive requires deep and constant reflection. Institutions need to challenge their processes by asking, “For whom does this work? For whom does this … …

Sue Dahling Sullivan is an independent consultant with more than 30 years of nonprofit management experience. We spoke to her about strategic planning when she was the Boch/Wang Center’s Chief Strategic Officer and ArtWeek Lead Champion. She believes that you have to be flexible in strategic planning because things do change. It’s an art and … Cont…

Dell Marie Hamilton is an artist, writer, and curator. Her work uses the body to investigate questions about personal memory, citizenship, history, and gender. Last fall, she shared what it’s like to have a creative practice in an era of toxicity, and emphasized the importance of self-care and continually learning from other artists. Dell Marie … C…

Dr. Deborah Buccino and Adrien Conklin, BSN RN of MACONY Pediatrics discuss the addition of social prescription – prescribing cultural engagement as a protective, healthy habit – to their collaborative care work in the Berkshires. “We can give prescriptions for medicine. We can give prescriptions to see a neurologist. But we can also give a … Conti…

Last November, we spoke with Michael J. Bobbitt, Artistic Director of New Repertory Theatre, about approaching major change in an organization. He shares ways to identify organizational culture, support staff work/life balance, and keep a board focused. Michael J. Bobbitt is the Artistic Director of New Repertory Theatre. He is an arts leader, dire…

New Bedford Symphony Orchestra (NBSO) Education Director Terry Wolkowicz discusses Learning in Concert, an in-school partnership program between the NBSO and over 40 elementary schools in southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Through this concept-based arts integration program, music educators work with non-arts teachers to remove barriers b…

Kim Dawson is the Director of Advancement at ZUMIX, a venerable creative youth development organization in East Boston. ZUMIX works with a largely immigrant community to better equip its youth to be able to navigate the world once they have graduated out of ZUMIX and high school. Dawson shares how they are expanding their opportunities … Continue r…

“The humanities give people time to reflect and think about issues in a different way than our daily living,” says Jack Cheng, Academic Director of the Boston Clemente Course. The Clemente Course is a college-level introduction to the humanities for adults facing economic hardship and adverse circumstances. Cheng shares how teaching adults makes fo…

Nicole Terez Dutton is a poet, teacher, and literary editor who also served as the first poet laureate of Somerville, MA. She says, “Ultimately, we’re building poems because we want to connect with each other.” Language particular to an experience can reinvigorate our interaction with and our relationship to language itself. Nicole Terez Dutton‘s w…

AHA! (Arts, History, Architecture) in New Bedford, MA is the longest continuously-funded placemaking and creative economy project in the country. For 20 years, this monthly, free, downtown cultural night and collaborative organization has provided a platform for community development and understanding. Lee Heald, Director of AHA!, discusses how the…

Last fall, we spoke with Audrey Seraphin, Membership and Capacity Building Manager at ArtsBoston, about how to get more people of color working in cultural organizations and about their Network for Arts Administrators of Color (or NAAC Boston). NAAC Boston enhances the visibility of professionals of color in Greater Boston’s arts and culture sector…

The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus is one of New England’s largest and most successful community-based choruses. Executive Director Craig Coogan discusses their work as performers and cultural ambassadors – in the US and abroad – to inspire change and celebrate difference. Craig Coogan joined the BGMC as Executive Director in October 2012. He is an … Cont…

L’Merchie Frazier is an artist and Director of Education and Interpretation for the Museum of African American History, Boston/Nantucket. Her work is centered on helping others to find their voice and discover their own innate creativity. She shares how her community projects aim to encourage people – individually and collectively – to participate …

To mark the occasion of our 100th episode, we have invited Maria Garcia, Senior Editor of the ARTery, WBUR’s arts and culture team, to be our special guest host. She interviews Anita Walker, Executive Director of Mass Cultural Council, who discusses her 13 years leading the agency, and what it looks like to eliminate mistrust … Continue reading "Ep…

Marquis Victor is the Founding Executive Director of Elevated Thought, a creative youth development nonprofit in Lawrence, MA. He believes that art is a form of liberation, and that young people – once they have access and exposure to art – are able to build a foundation of self, expand their minds and eyes to … Continue reading "Episode 99: Art is…

Luis Croquer is the Henry & Lois Foster Director and Chief Curator of the Rose Art Museum. He discusses how the inclusion of more art historians from diverse backgrounds is helping rewrite the stories of artists previously overlooked by collecting institutions. He says centering the work of these artists also complicates the whole idea of … Continu…

Kate Gilbert, Executive Director of Now + There, says the most successful public art is trying to disrupt how we walk through and see the world. She discusses how her organization supports temporary work in Boston as a strategy for changing how public art gets made and is appreciated. Kate Gilbert is on a mission … Continue reading "Episode 97: Pub…

Mandy Precious, Engagement and Learning Director at Theatre Royal Plymouth, shares how social prescription – prescribing the arts or arts activities over medication – has impacted their organization and their community. Through their Our Space program, adults with addiction, homelessness, and/or mental health issues come to see productions and make…

Vijay Mathew, Cultural Strategist and Co-Founder of HowlRound Theater Commons, discusses the impact of climate change on the field of arts and culture, and what a transition to a post-carbon arts sector may entail. Vijay Mathew (he/him/his) is the Cultural Strategist and a co-founder of HowlRound Theatre Commons, based at Emerson College, Boston, U…

Through “Look at Art. Get Paid,” artists Maia Chao and Josephine Devanbu pay people who have never been to an art museum to visit one as guest critics. Having both studied social science in addition to art, Chao and Devanbu crave a candid conversation about the structural inequalities of art, critique, and its institutions. Maia … Continue reading …