Welcome to the blog sponsored by the Havighurst Center for Russian and Post-Soviet Studies at Miami University. The New Contemporary will feature Center events and spotlight some of the incredible writing by students enrolled in our classes. The title of the blog comes from the 19th Century “thick journals” that featured a host of interesting content, including the publication of works by giants such as Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. The first of these journals, The Contemporary [Sovremennik] was established in 1836 by Pushkin. It published poetry, fiction, historical accounts, criticism, and other writings. This blog will also feature a wide range of materials, including response papers to guest lectures, reviews, op-eds, as well as contain podcasts of lectures delivered here at Miami sponsored by the Havighurst Center. Stay tuned!