Maria Stepanova

The Russian poet, essayist, and journalist Maria Stepanova was born in Moscow. She is the author of over ten poetry collections, three of which have recently been translated and published in English: War of the Beasts and Animals (Bloodaxe Books, 2021), In Memory of Memory (New Directions, 2021), and The Voice Over (Columbia University Press, 2021), which includes a selection of Stepanova’s poetry and essays originally published in Russia between 1996 and 2016. She was awarded the Bolshaya Kniga Award for In Memory of Memory in 2018.

In 2007, Stepanova founded cultural daily website OpenSpace.ru, where she published essays, criticism, and reported features. When the Russian government intensified pressure on independent journalism outlets around the 2012 Russian presidential election, and the financial backers of OpenSpace anxiously withdrew, she was forced to shut it down. Undeterred, she subsequently launched the arts and culture website Colta.ru, thanks to a significant crowdfunding effort.

Stepanova has lived in Moscow most of her life.