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Showing posts from July, 2020

Socially Distant Book Reception in Latvia

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    Before I left Latvia I was able to throw a socially distant book reception at my favorite Latvian author Aspazija's house and museum in Riga. The pandemic did not hit Latvia as hard as the United States by July and so I put together a small party to thank everyone who helped me while writing my book and to donate my book to the John F. Kennedy Reading Room at the Latvian National Library. I felt throughout the event that Aspazija was watching over us figuratively and also through the hanging art installations around the room. Latvians also love to give flowers (only odd numbers as even numbers of flowers are given for funerals). I gave a speech in Latvian and English and then people could answer questions and participate in some activities. It was a great send off from my sabbatical in Latvia and also a good way to see people that I didn't get to see most of the time in Latvia due to the pandemic!