(Revised) Experience Moscow: Guide to Knowing the City without Knowing the Language
English Language Evenings (ELE) provides lectures on variety of topics
Vice president of International Women’s Club to speak Saturday
By: Julia Vail
While living in Santa Cruz, Calif., author and editor Stephen Lapeyrouse enjoyed participating in discussions at local coffee houses. When he moved to Russia in 1994, he wanted to re-create that type of environment, in which people of different classes, professions and backgrounds share their knowledge and ideas.
The ELE (English Language Evenings) lecture series, which is now in its 10th year, is the product of Lapeyrouse’s efforts. The lectures, designed to bring together anyone interested in intelligent topics in English, are held once or twice a month from early autumn to late spring at the Chekhov Library and Cultural Center on Strastnoi Bulvar. (View map.)
“The audience hears new ideas and perspectives, and they can have a public evening related to the mind, not a concert or exhibition or a bar or a party,” said Lapeyrouse, who now serves as the editor for the Moscow newspaper English.
Lapeyrouse, who came to the then-Soviet Union for the first time in 1986, said he was struck by the depth and passion of the Russian people. Drawn to this type of lifestyle, he left California and moved to Russia eight years later. He began the lecture series in 1998 to enjoy “an intelligent evening in English.”
The admission for the lecture is 50 rubles, which covers the expenses for reserving space in the library.
Featured Speakers
Monica Howkins, vice president of the International Women’s Club, will speak on Saturday, Nov. 30. Her speech will be about women of the world and their perceptions on balancing work, family and personal development.
The International Women’s Club was founded in 1978 by four women from the United States who were married to diplomats stationed in Moscow. Since that time, the organization has grown to include over 800 registered members, and works to promote friendship and cultural understanding between women of different nationalities living in the Moscow area.
The ELE lectures, which have featured speakers as diverse as opera singers, journalists and ambassadors, typically draw a crowd of 40 to 60 people. However, Lapeyrouse said some speakers have brought in more than 100 listeners.
“We also have had performances at times, and talks which included music and lecturing,” he said.
Lapeyrouse said the audience also has the opportunity to learn about people who they may be familiar with from the television or radio.
“We have had many different kinds of people and topics over the years, from 12 plus countries as well,” he said. “New contacts and relations have developed from ELEs also.”
Audience
Lapeyrouse said that the majority of people who attend the lectures are actually native Russians who speak English fluently. Though native English-speaking expats also come to the lectures, Russians have consistently shown a great deal of interest in broadening their English language skills and expanding their knowledge of the English-speaking community.
“I sometimes was tired and wanted to stop doing it, but the Russians basically begged me not to,” Lapeyrouse added.
Contact Information
For more information on ELE lectures, visit www.elemoscow.net. If you are interested in giving a public lecture for the series, contact Stephen Lapeyrouse at s_lapeyrouse@hotmail.com.
