If there is any aspect of my career that I am proudest of—beyond the work I have managed to get out there into the world’s thought stream—it is the young soldiers of the arts and letters who have helped me do so.
Beginning in 2002, when I returned to my alma mater, Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, to be artist in residence at that furnace of the arts known as the Risley Residential College for the Creative and Performing Arts, I have employed—or should I say deployed—a steady stream of remarkable and capable young women and men to work with me on my diverse literary and visual projects.
All told, between 2002 and 2017, when I left Ithaca and relocated to Riga, my current base, close to twenty Cornell students worked for me for periods ranging from several months to two years. The deal was that my “munchkins” as I called them (key requirement for working for me: a sense of humor!) could work for me as long as they felt they were learning from me: the position is very much a reciprocal one.
Since then their hallowed ranks have been augmented by a number of equally talented and remarkable young men and women from Finland, Latvia and Russia.
Herewith are bios of some of my transatlantic stars.
Anna Aleksandra Sičova annaasicova@gmail.com
Anna Aleksandra Sičova is my current senior associate and executive assistant and honorary deputy chief of mission. I hired this capable and lovely young lady in May 2022. Since then Anna, a second year student in international relations at Riga Stradins University, has assisted me in a wide range of journalistic and literary activities, including overseeing the final (exhausting) round of the publication process for my last book, Latvia Rising, including co- hosting the wonderful party for the same; researching my latest batch of articles for The New York Review of Books and Christian Science Monitor; updating my website; helping clear the ground for my next anticipated book, about my friend JJ Manford, and making sure that I am still alive, not necessarily in that order, and lots more.
Additionally, Anna has accompanied me as well as represented Sander Media at various diplomatic functions. She has already proven herself indispensable in the short time she and I have worked together. Beyond and apart from that, Anna and I have already become good friends. I am loath to compare my assistants. Each of them is special in their own way. Each of them brings something unique to the somewhat amorphous—and occasionally maddening (yes I am aware that working for me can sometimes be maddening)—job of working for me. But, well, let’s just say that Anna is really special! She also has a great smile—something that dour Latvia could use more of. I hope and expect to continue working with her on all sorts of exciting projects—while also teaching her what I know—for, well, as long as she wants to work for me.
And if that isn’t a great reference, I don’t know what is.
Eleonora Balode eleonorabalode@gmail.com
Eleonora Balode qas my senior editorial and creative associate. In her second year at the Latvian Academy of Culture, this remarkably talented young woman assisted and collaborated with me on a long list of projects. Her biggest job was been helping me with Latvia Rising, my long-awaited book about her country. She was involved with virtually every aspect of the book, from helping to design the cover, researching it, liaising with the publisher TipOn, and proofreading the copy.
Eleonora also played a major role in my return to the classroom as a lecturer at the academy, for which she researched and prepared my weekly PowerPoint presentations.
She had a dual, and no less important role, as my assistant, performing all sorts of miscellaneous, thankless duties, like helping me with my banking—for which she has my profound and eternal thanks! She was even is available on the weekends—something unheard of in Latvia, where the weekend is inviolable unlike in America.
She was a joy to work with. I expect great things from Eleonora.
Matīss Rubulis matiis0808@gmail.com
Matīss Rubulis was my senior research associate and special ops man. Like Eleonora, Matīss was a student at the Latvian Academy of Culture, from which he graduated June 2022. He was involved with virtually every aspect of Latvia Rising, from researching the text to taking meetings with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to proofreading the copy, and much more.
The 2021-2022 school year was the first when I had two assistants, with Eleonora taking over the bulk of the team’s work in the spring, while Matīss did his senior thesis work. I am very glad that I had both! Matīss continued to be on call for me and continued to perform crack just in time work for the salvo of articles I produced in March 2022 for The Washington Post and Politico. He also executed miscellaneous other duties, like finding a copy of my long lost profile of Robert Redford on the Net!
He also happens to be an excellent writer. Like Eleonora, he is a credit to his generation, his school, and his nation.
Ieva Kalvane ievakkalvane@gmail.com
Ieva Kalvane was my associate and personal assistant, who I hired in September 2020. Then she was in her last year at the Latvian Academy of Culture, this bright, capable and curious young woman has already made herself indispensable to Sander Media.
As my production manager, Ieva conscientiously helps keep track of the various projects we have going in our four sectors of activity—literature, journalism, film and tv, and photography, while making sure that I am still alive and breathing. A natural-born researcher, Ieva provided essential research for the two articles we published this fall about the women of the Estonian Defence Forces and the renewed controversy over the 1994 sinking of the “Estonia” cruise ship, respectively.
Ieva is also my revered webmaster. I continue to expect great things from Ieva. Liels paldies Ieva!
Henry Mannberg henrymannberg@helsinki.fi
Henry Mannberg is the latest of the long, stellar “blue and white” line of brilliant young Finns who have helped me with my ever-growing tray of Fennophile works of both historiographical and journalistic.
A PhD candidate in history at Helsinki University, Henry works as a guide at Tamminiemi, the long time home of Urho Kekkonen, the president of Finland, whose biography I am writing—which of course is a great help for that two-part work, for which he has already provided outstanding editorial and scholarly assistance. Henry also helps provide research for my Finnish and Baltic journalism, as he did in
November with my feature about “Estonia.” Welcome aboard Henry! And kiitos kiitos!
Anastasia Maisuradze, nastyamaydaily@gmail.com
Anastasia Maisuradze, better known by her Georgian name, Tasiko, is our new honorary Russian also associate andco-author and creative collaborator—something I have not had for a while. We call her “The Catalyst” here at Sander Media, and she is: she helps makes things happen. A member of the marketing team at Moscow Film School, the well-regarded private film academy, and a fellow confirmed Fennophile who is even crazier about Finland than me (if that is possible), who I met online in early 2020 and have since formed a remarkable bilateral friendship and partnership, Tasiko played and continues to play a crucial role in helping me formulate and conceptualize “Two Women at War,” the streaming series we are developing for Aku Louhimies, the great Finnish director and director of the recent mega-hit “Unknown Soldier.”
At the same time, this brilliant, capable—and extremely nice!--multi-talented young lady, who also does not suffer fools gladly (including me)--has single-handedly demolished whatever preconceptions or prejudices this admittedly obtuse American might have had about her homeland. I look forward to working with Tasiko on both “Two Women at War,” as well as some of our other film and literary projects in 2021, my prospective series about the so-called “gipsy” motorcycle-bound rebels of 1920. TasiTaikocurrently helping me find a Russian publisher for “Citizen Kekkonen.” Welcome Tasiko and spasibo!
Dace Saukuma daceligasaukuma@gmail.com
My former senior associate and now honorary associate, Dace Saukuma, who I hired in July 2019, has a special place on my honour roll. On the one hand, Dace, who formerly worked for Kanepes Culture Center, played a pivotal role in producing the two ambitious photo shows I have mounted thus far here in Latvia--” My America 2,” the expansive, 65 image photo retrospective we mounted at Riga’s Culture Palace in September 2019, and the spin-off show we produced—or rhe produced—at the USA Information Center at the Daugavpils Library in March, 2020. ace has also helped me research numerous of the articles and dispatches I have written from Riga.
Beyond that, as my first Latvian associate—as well as someone who had spent time in the States and was conversant with American culture (and slang!)--this super-competent and charisma of the ic young lady also played a major role in enabling me to transition to Latvia as well as my recent decision to stay here.
Liels paldies Dace!
Alec Neihum alec.neihum@helsinki.fi
At present time (August 2020) no assistant or associate has worked as long for me—or on as many diverse projects, or as capably or with as much dispatch—as Alec Neihum, my chief Finnish associate. I hired Alec the fall in of 2017, at the same time I moved to Riga, primarily to help me finish my research for Citizen Kekkonen, my historical biography of Urho Kekkonen.
In addition to his stellar work on Citizen, Alec, who is already a political correspondent and a rising star at Finnish television station MTV3 at the ripe old age of 24, this extraordinary young man has done everything from a record my interview with President Sauli Niinisto, to distribute copies (and collect payment for!) Off the Map: A Personal History of Finland, the memoir of Finland I reissued in 2018 to fact check my periodic articles about Finland and much much more.
Vuokko Schoultz vuokko.schoultz@helsinki.fi
Phoebe Hering phoebe.hering@gmail.com
Scott Reu theonlyscottreu@gmail.com
Sarah Jacobs sarahrjacobs@gmail.com
Heidi Silvennoinen heidi.silvennoinen4@gmail.com
Fiona McGuire frk5@cornell.edu
John Carey
Also, Brad Wilson and Morgan Wylder.