The seminar-discussion was attended by students of the YSU IB “Russian Language and Literature” educational program, lecturers of the Department of Foreign Languages, researchers, and honored guests: Andronik Romanov, a well-known Russian writer and publisher in the Russian-speaking literary community, poetess Emma Ogoltsova, and student volunteers of the “For Russian - 2025” program from Moscow, Zhenya Ogannisyan and Sofia Golovkova.

The honored guests and attendees were welcomed by Mher Otaryan, Director of the YSU Ijevan Branch, emphasizing the role and importance of holding such events in the university environment.

The seminar opened with a discussion of the role of “thick” literary magazines, a unique phenomenon in Russian cultural life. It was through these publications that the most important works of Russian literature in the 19th century reached readers, new authors emerged, and public opinion was formed. Gradually, such magazines became real “thought leaders” of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Each of them had its own unique aesthetic handwriting, a special circle of authors, and its own cultural mission, and without this rich heritage it is impossible to imagine the development of modern Russian literature.

Despite the change of centuries and the establishment of the digital age, these magazines continue to be published today. Although they find it difficult to compete with electronic media, they nevertheless maintain their status as a high-quality literary platform.

Third-year students of the Russian Language and Literature program presented research on the formation and development of major Russian magazines of the 19th century, and volunteers presented research on magazines of the Soviet Union.

Andronik Romanov presented his personal experience in the publishing industry: he is well aware of the problems and difficulties involved in founding and developing a magazine: hard work, doubts, finding the right tone, communicating with authors, and the need to overcome obstacles.

As the creator of Russia’s first electronic literary magazine (“Литратура”), he actually founded a new format that was just gaining readers in the early 2010s. Today, Romanov continues this work in his new project, the magazine “Атма”, which has been published for the second year. Both publications have become not only platforms for texts, but also unique laboratories of contemporary literature, where new voices are born and new forms are tested.

An equally vivid impression was made by acquaintance with the creative path of the poet, translator and theater actress Emma Ogoltsova. Ogoltsova is a laureate of international literary competitions, a participant in festivals and creative forums held in Armenia and Russia.

During the seminar, she presented her first book of poems, “Preface”, which was published in 2025. Copies of the collection were donated to the Center for Russian Language and Culture at YSU IB, as well as to the university library.

A special place in the program was occupied by the presentation of the new issue of the magazine "Veteran", which is the official publication of the Veterans Union of Armenia named after Marshal Baghramyan. For the second year already, YSU IB students have been cooperating with the editorial staff, publishing their essays and research in the magazine, which gives them the opportunity to take their first steps in professional (literary and journalistic) work.

The seminar was conducted in collaboration with Associate Professor of the Department of Foreign Languages, Ph.D. M. Zurabyan, and lecturer of the same department Elena Shuvaeva, who is also a member of the Writers' Union of Armenia, the Writers' Union of Russia, and the International Union of Writers named after Saints Cyril and Methodius.

The event became an important platform for the exchange of experience, intellectual growth, and professional communication between students and working writers and editors.