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Valentina Michelotti @baikontweak

Valentina Michelotti graduated from Pitzer College with a double B.A. in English and Russian/Eastern European Studies. She wrote her thesis on the social capital of underground electronic music in Russia. Initially piqued while volunteering in Albania, her interest in the complexity of identity in post-Soviet spaces was broadened by living and teaching English in Georgia. Valentina completed a Fulbright research project in Kazakhstan, exploring the links between alphabet reform, nation-building, and identity politics. Her current work is focused on contemporary culture in post-Soviet countries, especially the gaps between their reality and Western consumption. Outside of writing, Valentina is involved in international education initiatives and exchanges, and serves as the resident director of a study abroad program in St. Petersburg.

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