An Evening with the Imprisoned Wall Street Journal Journalist featuring "This Cursed Beautiful Land"
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Presented by Bob & Nancy Giles "Truth Matters" Series
In March 2023, a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Evan Gershkovich met with a union boss connected with a Russian tank factory. A Wall Street Journal journalist, he sat with his source in an empty restaurant in an industrial city 900 miles east of Moscow. A squad of masked agents charged in, blindfolded Evan, and dragged him into an unmarked van. The agents were from the FSB, Putin’s powerful security service, and the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
Sentenced for sixteen years on false espionage charges, Evan was held for nearly sixteen months, mostly in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison. He was released on August 1, 2024, in an international prisoner exchange.
Evan Gershkovich is a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal based in Berlin. Born in New Jersey to Soviet émigrés, he lived in Russia for over five years before his 2023 arrest. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Economist, and Foreign Policy. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2025 as part of an investigative team for The Journal. He is the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship.
Event Details
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with live music, and the conversation begins at 7:00 p.m. This event includes a Q&A session and an author signing immediately following in the lobby.
Host: Doug Stanton
Livestreaming Underwriter: Nancy Davy
Sustaining Sponsor: Green Brick Foundation
Season Sponsors: West Shore Bank, North Guard Technology Group, Cottage Book Shop
Event Sponsor: A Generous Friend of NWS
Bookstore Partner: Artemis Books and Goods
Promotional Partner: International Affairs Forum
In March 2023, a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, Evan Gershkovich met with a union boss connected with a Russian tank factory. A Wall Street Journal journalist, he sat with his source in an empty restaurant in an industrial city 900 miles east of Moscow. A squad of masked agents charged in, blindfolded Evan, and dragged him into an unmarked van. The agents were from the FSB, Putin’s powerful security service, and the successor to the Soviet-era KGB.
Sentenced for sixteen years on false espionage charges, Evan was held for nearly sixteen months, mostly in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison. He was released on August 1, 2024, in an international prisoner exchange.
Evan Gershkovich is a foreign correspondent for The Wall Street Journal based in Berlin. Born in New Jersey to Soviet émigrés, he lived in Russia for over five years before his 2023 arrest. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times, The Economist, and Foreign Policy. He was a Pulitzer Prize finalist in 2025 as part of an investigative team for The Journal. He is the recipient of a MacDowell Fellowship.
Event Details
Doors open at 6:00 p.m. with live music, and the conversation begins at 7:00 p.m. This event includes a Q&A session and an author signing immediately following in the lobby.
Host: Doug Stanton
Livestreaming Underwriter: Nancy Davy
Sustaining Sponsor: Green Brick Foundation
Season Sponsors: West Shore Bank, North Guard Technology Group, Cottage Book Shop
Event Sponsor: A Generous Friend of NWS
Bookstore Partner: Artemis Books and Goods
Promotional Partner: International Affairs Forum
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Where is it happening?
City Opera House, 108 E Front St, Traverse City, MI 49684-2509, United States
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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Host or PublisherTraverse City National Writers Series
