Visiting writer Andrey GRISHAEV was born in Leningrad in 1978. While a student of computer engineering he discovered poetry, joining the literary society “Young Petersburg, and later pursued a graduate degree in literature. His first book of poems, Bumblebee, was published in 2006; his poetry has appeared in poetry journals, including Noviy Mir; he is now working on his second volume. Leonid Kostiukov, poet and editor, writes of his work, “Grishaev’s poetic language differs dramatically from most of his contemporaries…and is very close to his favorite poet Georgii Ivanov. His poetry offers that unique blend of strength and tenderness that is intrinsic to men...” He participates courtesy of the Open World Cultural Leaders Program.