Author

Laura Williams

Laura Williamsand husband Igor Shpilenok have been conserving Russian nature for over a decade. Laura has a Master's degree in Conservation Biology from Yale and worked at WWF-Russia. Igor founded and directed the Bryansk Forest Nature Reserve in western Russia. They travel throughout Russa, documenting the Russian wilderness, but they make their home in the village of Chukrai, Bryansk region.

Faith in Progress
Russian Life: May/June 2009
One fine spring day, a new telephone appeared in the village of Chukhrai. A beautiful thing. But it connected to no one or no thing.
Author: Laura Williams
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Rural Medicine: Remedies and Realities
Russian Life: Mar/Apr 2008
Columnist Laura Williams recounts in run-ins with the Russian health care system, village-style.
Author: Laura Williams
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Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves
Russian Life: July/August 2007
A crime is committed in Laura's village by some wandering gypsies. So her husband takes the law into his own hands...
Author: Laura Williams
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The Bug that Brought Russia to its Knees
Russian Life: July/August 2007
Just under a century ago, a nefarious pest migrated (thanks to war and industrial farming) from the southwestern U.S. to the Russian heartland. Ever since, potatoes – a staple in the Russian diet also brought from the Americas –?have been under siege.
Author: Laura Williams
Illustrations/Images: Igor Shpilenok
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Mother's Milk
Russian Life: Mar/Apr 2007
Spring is the time for calves...
Author: Laura Williams
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Bears in the Mist
Russian Life: Nov/Dec 2006
Exploring the wilds of Kamchatka, home to an amazing concentration of bears, geysers and natural beauty.
Author: Laura Williams
Illustrations/Images: Igor Shpilenok
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The Wonders of Kamchatka
Russian Life: Jul/Aug 2006
In the first of a two-part series, we explore the villages, geysers, volcanoes, flora and fauna of Russia’s wildest peninsula.
Author: Laura Williams
Illustrations/Images: Igor Shpilenok
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Village Injustice
Russian Life: Jul/Aug 2006
This modern tale of two hapless village drunks and their run-in with the Russian justice system could be taken out of Chekhov. But, sadly, it is non-fiction.
Author: Laura Williams
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Chado, the Roving Superdog
Russian Life: May/Jun 2006
"A dog is a basic necessity in the village, and the bigger the dog, the better..." But this is not a story about a big dog, at least not physically...
Author: Laura Williams
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Village Fashion
Russian Life: Mar/Apr 2006
The latest, most up-to-date guide of what to wear down in the village, where there is no bad weather, just bad clothing!
Author: Laura Williams
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