Pre-Pride: The Way to Go

As New York City gears up for Pride, taking place this year from June 14-24, one anticipates thousands upon thousands of people marching and congregating on the streets, attending plugged events, and milling inside and outside bars and restaurants close to Pride activities. Pride is delighted to offer the city and international patrons what will be a swarm of celebration. … Read more →

Delights of Istanbul

I don’t know why it has taken me so long to write about Istanbul. The city immediately energized me, and there is a lot here that is different from Western Europe, which I find refreshing. The call to prayer five times a day has smitten me. There are many mosques around, of course, and I am fortunate to have had… Read more →

Interview with Ivana Milankov

Biographical Note: Ivana Milankov was born in1952 in Belgrade, Serbia. She finished her studies of English language and literature at Belgrade University. Milankov is the author of eight books of poetry and one book of poetical prose—a dream diary. She is a translator of English and American poetry (Emily Dickinson, Sylvia Plath, W.B. Yeats, William Blake, Allen Ginsberg and others).… Read more →

Gone to Montenegro

I have done what any Serbian does, if possible, in the summer months: gone to Montenegro. Montenegro is about a twelve-to-thirteen hour train ride from Belgrade, and I would recommend it above any other form of travel. Though the train is not air-conditioned and the heat, for about two hours after leaving Belgrade, left me feeling quite woozy, the train… Read more →

Taking Gusle Lessons

I have been spending time in Vrbas, Serbia, a town of about 35, 000 people which is approximately a forty-minute drive to the second largest city in Serbia, Novi Sad. Vrbas is a three-and-a-half hour bus ride from Belgrade. I have been told that this is the town where the gusle tradition has maintained itself more than in any other… Read more →

A Great Spirit: Belgrade, Serbia

How to describe Belgrade . . . This is one of the funkiest cities I have been to—as cool as Montreal, Canada, as cool as Bucharest (but with more options) and more interesting than any city I’ve experienced in Europe so far. I am living in the neighbourhood of Upper Dorćol, an area full of choice and interesting venues, as well… Read more →