Reading books important: For Your Physical and Mental Health

Опубликовано: September 6, 2023 в 9:24 am

Автор: alexxlab

Категории: Miscellaneous

For Your Physical and Mental Health

In the 11th century, a Japanese woman known as Murasaki Shikibu wrote “The Tale of Genji,” a 54-chapter story of courtly seduction believed to be the world’s first novel.

Over 1,000 years later, people the world over are still engrossed by novels — even in an era where stories appear on handheld screens and disappear 24 hours later.

What exactly do human beings get from reading books? Is it just a matter of pleasure, or are there benefits beyond enjoyment? The scientific answer is a resounding “yes.”

Reading books benefits both your physical and mental health, and those benefits can last a lifetime. They begin in early childhood and continue through the senior years. Here’s a brief explanation of how reading books can change your brain — and your body — for the better.

A growing body of research indicates that reading literally changes your mind.

Using MRI scans, researchers have confirmed that reading involves a complex network of circuits and signals in the brain. As your reading ability matures, those networks also get stronger and more sophisticated.

In one study conducted in 2013, researchers used functional MRI scans to measure the effect of reading a novel on the brain. Study participants read the novel “Pompeii” over a period of 9 days. As tension built in the story, more and more areas of the brain lit up with activity.

Brain scans showed that throughout the reading period and for days afterward, brain connectivity increased, especially in the somatosensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds to physical sensations like movement and pain.

Why children and parents should read together

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic recommend that parents read with their children beginning as early as infancy and continuing through elementary school years.

Reading with your children builds warm and happy associations with books, increasing the likelihood that kids will find reading enjoyable in the future.

Reading at home boosts school performance later on. It also increases vocabulary, raises self-esteem, builds good communication skills, and strengthens the prediction engine that is the human brain.

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And speaking of sensing pain, research has shown that people who read literary fiction — stories that explore the inner lives of characters — show a heightened ability to understand the feelings and beliefs of others.

Researchers call this ability the “theory of mind,” a set of skills essential for building, navigating, and maintaining social relationships.

While a single session of reading literary fiction isn’t likely to spark this feeling, research shows that long-term fiction readers do tend to have a better-developed theory of mind.

Reading researchers as far back as the 1960s have discussed what’s known as “the Matthew effect,” a term that refers to biblical verse Matthew 13:12: “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ”

The Matthew effect sums up the idea that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer — a concept that applies as much to vocabulary as it does to money.

Researchers have found that students who read books regularly, beginning at a young age, gradually develop large vocabularies. And vocabulary size can influence many areas of your life, from scores on standardized tests to college admissions and job opportunities.

A 2019 poll conducted by Cengage showed that 69 percent of employers are looking to hire people with “soft” skills, like the ability to communicate effectively. Reading books is the best way to increase your exposure to new words, learned in context.

Want to be sure your home is reader-friendly?

You may want to pick up a copy of Nancie Atwell’s “The Reading Zone.” It’s a quick, inspiring read penned by one of the most influential reading teachers in the world and the first recipient of the Varkey Foundation’s Global Teacher Prize.

You can look for it at your local bookstore or find it online.

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The National Institute on Aging recommends reading books and magazines as a way of keeping your mind engaged as you grow older.

Although research hasn’t proven conclusively that reading books prevents diseases like Alzheimer’s, studies show that seniors who read and solve math problems every day maintain and improve their cognitive functioning.

And the earlier you start, the better. A 2013 study conducted by Rush University Medical Center found that people who’ve engaged in mentally stimulating activities all their lives were less likely to develop the plaques, lesions, and tau-protein tangles found in the brains of people with dementia.

In 2009, a group of researchers measured the effects of yoga, humor, and reading on the stress levels of students in demanding health science programs in the United States.

The study found that 30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga and humor did.

The authors concluded, “Since time constraints are one of the most frequently cited reasons for high stress levels reported by health science students, 30 minutes of one of these techniques can be easily incorporated into their schedule without diverting a large amount of time from their studies.”

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic suggest reading as part of a regular sleep routine.

For best results, you may want to choose a print book rather than reading on a screen, since the light emitted by your device could keep you awake and lead to other unwanted health outcomes.

Doctors also recommend that you read somewhere other than your bedroom if you have trouble falling asleep.

British philosopher Sir Roger Scruton once wrote, “Consolation from imaginary things is not an imaginary consolation.” People with depression often feel isolated and estranged from everyone else. And that’s a feeling books can sometimes lessen.

Reading fiction can allow you to temporarily escape your own world and become swept up in the imagined experiences of the characters. And nonfiction self-help books can teach you strategies that may help you manage symptoms.

That’s why the United Kingdom’s National Health Service has begun Reading Well, a Books on Prescription program, where medical experts prescribe self-help books curated by medical experts specifically for certain conditions.

A long-term health and retirement study followed a cohort of 3,635 adult participants for a period of 12 years, finding that those who read books survived around 2 years longer than those who either didn’t read or who read magazines and other forms of media.

The study also concluded that people who read more than 3 1/2 hours every week were 23 percent likely to live longer than those who didn’t read at all.

So, what should you be reading? The short answer is: Whatever you can get your hands on.

There was a time when remote regions had to rely on librarians traversing the mountains with books stuffed in saddlebags. But that’s hardly the case today. Just about everyone can access vast libraries contained in cellphones and tablets.

Not sure what to read with your kids?

Pick up a copy of Roger Sutton’s “A Family of Readers,” which is packed with age- and genre-specific recommendations.

You can look for it at your local bookstore or find it online.

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If you’re pressed for time, devote a few minutes daily to a blog on a niche topic. If you’re looking for an escape, fantasy or historical fiction can transport you out of your own surroundings and into another world altogether.

If you’re on a career fast-track, read nonfiction advice offered by someone who’s already arrived. Consider it a mentorship you can pick up and put down when it suits your schedule.

One thing to note: Don’t read solely on a device. Flip through print books, too.

Studies have shown repeatedly that people who read print books score higher on comprehension tests and remember more of what they read than people who read the same material in a digital form.

That may be, in part, because people tend to read print more slowly than they read digital content.

There’s nothing wrong with watching an entire television series, start to finish, in a single weekend — just as there’s nothing wrong with eating a large, luscious dessert.

But binge-watching TV probably needs to be an occasional treat rather than your main source of intellectual stimulation. Research shows that prolonged TV viewing, especially for children, may change the brain in unhealthy ways.

Reading is very, very good for you. Research shows that regular reading:

improves brain connectivity
increases your vocabulary and comprehension
empowers you to empathize with other people
aids in sleep readiness
reduces stress
lowers blood pressure and heart rate
fights depression symptoms
prevents cognitive decline as you age
contributes to a longer life

It’s especially important for children to read as much as possible because the effects of reading are cumulative. However, it’s never too late to begin taking advantage of the many physical and psychological benefits waiting for you in the pages of a good book.

For Your Physical and Mental Health

In the 11th century, a Japanese woman known as Murasaki Shikibu wrote “The Tale of Genji,” a 54-chapter story of courtly seduction believed to be the world’s first novel.

Over 1,000 years later, people the world over are still engrossed by novels — even in an era where stories appear on handheld screens and disappear 24 hours later.

What exactly do human beings get from reading books? Is it just a matter of pleasure, or are there benefits beyond enjoyment? The scientific answer is a resounding “yes.”

A growing body of research indicates that reading literally changes your mind.

Why children and parents should read together

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic recommend that parents read with their children beginning as early as infancy and continuing through elementary school years.

Reading with your children builds warm and happy associations with books, increasing the likelihood that kids will find reading enjoyable in the future.

Reading at home boosts school performance later on. It also increases vocabulary, raises self-esteem, builds good communication skills, and strengthens the prediction engine that is the human brain.

Was this helpful?

Researchers call this ability the “theory of mind,” a set of skills essential for building, navigating, and maintaining social relationships.

While a single session of reading literary fiction isn’t likely to spark this feeling, research shows that long-term fiction readers do tend to have a better-developed theory of mind.

The Matthew effect sums up the idea that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer — a concept that applies as much to vocabulary as it does to money.

Want to be sure your home is reader-friendly?

You can look for it at your local bookstore or find it online.

Was this helpful?

The National Institute on Aging recommends reading books and magazines as a way of keeping your mind engaged as you grow older.

In 2009, a group of researchers measured the effects of yoga, humor, and reading on the stress levels of students in demanding health science programs in the United States.

The study found that 30 minutes of reading lowered blood pressure, heart rate, and feelings of psychological distress just as effectively as yoga and humor did.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinic suggest reading as part of a regular sleep routine.

For best results, you may want to choose a print book rather than reading on a screen, since the light emitted by your device could keep you awake and lead to other unwanted health outcomes.

Doctors also recommend that you read somewhere other than your bedroom if you have trouble falling asleep.

The study also concluded that people who read more than 3 1/2 hours every week were 23 percent likely to live longer than those who didn’t read at all.

So, what should you be reading? The short answer is: Whatever you can get your hands on.

Not sure what to read with your kids?

Pick up a copy of Roger Sutton’s “A Family of Readers,” which is packed with age- and genre-specific recommendations.

You can look for it at your local bookstore or find it online.

Was this helpful?

If you’re on a career fast-track, read nonfiction advice offered by someone who’s already arrived. Consider it a mentorship you can pick up and put down when it suits your schedule.

One thing to note: Don’t read solely on a device. Flip through print books, too.

Studies have shown repeatedly that people who read print books score higher on comprehension tests and remember more of what they read than people who read the same material in a digital form.

That may be, in part, because people tend to read print more slowly than they read digital content.

There’s nothing wrong with watching an entire television series, start to finish, in a single weekend — just as there’s nothing wrong with eating a large, luscious dessert.

Reading is very, very good for you. Research shows that regular reading:

improves brain connectivity
increases your vocabulary and comprehension
empowers you to empathize with other people
aids in sleep readiness
reduces stress
lowers blood pressure and heart rate
fights depression symptoms
prevents cognitive decline as you age
contributes to a longer life

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO READ BOOKS?

The answer to the question “Why is it important to read books?” would seem to be obvious and does not require particularly complex thinking. On this topic, folios of scientific research were written a long time ago and firmly took their places on the shelves of libraries, countless artistic essays and journalistic articles of varying degrees of comprehension scattered through magazines and scattered across the Internet. And every more or less well-known author has left witty quotes-sayings regarding the reading of books, so that they now add up to thick volumes of aphorisms.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO READ BOOKS?

When everything is on the Internet

It must be admitted that we all, without much thought, can give a list of a dozen reasons that encourage reading, for example: the development of intelligence, creative (artistic) imagination; education and broadening one’s horizons; emotional and moral education, the ability to empathize; to see the beautiful, the development of aesthetic taste and an increase in the level of reading culture; training of memory and attention and, finally, the usual entertainment.
“What new can I add?” – I ask myself, knowing perfectly well how difficult it is to avoid hackneyed phrases and vulgarly common thoughts. And I come to the obvious conclusion for me: apparently, in the modern era itself, one should look for the reason why the eternal question again becomes relevant for us. What is wrong with our time and what distinguishes it from other historical periods of human development? And I also suddenly realize that, in fact, no one doubts: reading is important and necessary. In fact, we are concerned about somewhat different formulations. But first, nevertheless, about what is significant about the new time.
Compared to my youth, when almost every one of us, readers, experienced a book hunger, now fiction books, and any unclassified information, are easily accessible. On the one hand, this is pleasing, on the other hand, we see that the material value of ordinary paper publications has fallen so much in our eyes that many do not consider it necessary to have home libraries. Why, if everything is on the Internet?
A wide flow of information has made it difficult to navigate. From the mass of publications offered to the reader, it is not easy to choose the right one. Offers so much exceed demand that they lead to confusion and bewilderment. It is easy for a non-specialist to get confused even on a simple topic, since information flows are daily polluted with inaccurate information. Here is an example that, during well-known events in a neighboring country, my dear comrade, doctor of science and professor, considered it necessary to send me on WhatsApp: “In Turkey, a woman approached the rescuers who were clearing rubble and asked them to stop the excavator, she said that they were digging in the wrong place. She showed where to look for her children, and asked to save them. The children were rescued and they wanted to give them to their mother, but she was nowhere to be found. The rescued thirteen-year-old boy said that his mother had died four years ago. ”
I was embarrassed to receive such a message and even annoyed, because such stories not only impress, but induce faith in the supernatural in poorly educated people, from which their mind goes beyond reason and they are no longer able to distinguish true from false. Information technology specialists have long been concerned about this problem and are developing special filters that allow cleaning information from contamination by countless fakes. However, the progress of ecological education in the spiritual sphere is still so modest that it can lead to skepticism regarding the intellectual abilities of man. Alas, along with the availability of books in society, a mistrust of expert knowledge has strangely arisen, as scholar and publicist Tom Nichols writes with bitterness. I refer the curious to his insanely interesting book “The Death of Expertise. How the Internet kills scientific knowledge.

Feel the taste of reading

What has happened in the field of art is that not only books have become available, but also modern writers themselves. On the Internet, it is quite easy not only to find the author’s text, but also to get to know the author himself, social networks offer various communication opportunities – both textual and audiovisual. You can ask the writer questions, argue with him. You can forward criticisms and even troll him – for the entertainment of yourself and your friends. As a result, celestial writers, who were previously unconditionally trusted, as they used to trust any printed word (after all, there can be no untruth in Pravda), suddenly descended to the level of ordinary inhabitants, albeit with their own opinion. In addition, everyone around became writers, because publishing became easy and simple. I note that in this regard, the strategy of Viktor Pelevin is noteworthy, who avoids publicity, which incites curiosity towards his own creations.
The next point, which has become a commonplace in discussions on a given topic, is the so-called clip thinking, characterized by a quick change of images, distraction of attention and intolerance to large artistic forms. It seems that time has accelerated and isn’t it pointless to spend it reading fiction?
If reading literary texts is perceived as something superfluous that interferes with work, as an additional burden, then this activity, of course, is meaningless. You can’t punish yourself by reading – you need to enjoy it! Note that school usually has the same problem: there will be no point if the educational work does not bring joy.
Alas, the main contradiction of our era is that we often subordinate all our activities to earning money, because we need to survive, provide for our families, think about the future of children, etc. And there is even no time to think: do you live, if only you do what you earn for a living? Are you a human or have you been a biorobot for a long time, an unremarkable cog in the social system?
We desperately strive to become successful, and we explain to our own children that you need to study well at school in order to enter a university, get a prestigious profession and . .. earn good money. Is there a difference between what a person aspires to become and what he was created for? “How many, brother, are there people in Russia who exist for no one knows why!” – Lopakhin exclaims in a Chekhov play, and in order to ease his thoughts, he works for a long time, without getting tired. What is not a positive hero-entrepreneur?
The trouble is that he, like many modern people, has no leisure. And leisure, if you like – agree, if you want – no, this is the basis of our culture. Not idleness, not meaningless lying on the beaches, not laziness, but precisely leisure. And here we must understand that Sunday rest as a restoration of strength for a new working week cannot be considered leisure, and without leisure there is no person. And here I am reminded of the mysterious phrase from The Cherry Orchard – “Man has been forgotten.” Surprisingly: everyone remembers and knows this quote, but it is not in the play itself. Don’t believe? Try to find. This is the so-called “Mandela effect”. I myself was looking recently …
“Man has been forgotten” – perhaps the main problem of modern civilization. How is human life different from animal life? First of all, the fact that we have a high culture based on understanding the world, and not on instincts. What gives our life meaning? Is it the pursuit of money? Ostap Bender saw the point in having wealth and was very disappointed with the unexpected result. I also want to disappoint you a little: if you hope to earn a lot of money in order to find leisure in the future, then you are stealing your most precious thing – time: the future will never come if you do not live here and now. In the end, the Gorky Chelkash earns respect from the reader only because he is the master of his own life.
Yes, you need to fill life with meaning, but it is also important to let the meaning of life take over you. Feel the difference? The same applies to the field of knowledge, to science. Not only do you have to work hard to gain knowledge, but you also have to let the knowledge take over you. And this is impossible without leisure. Remember how selflessly and harmoniously the protagonist of Bradbury’s novel “Dandelion Wine” comprehends the structure of the world, he truly lives, receiving joy and happiness in everyday worries. He has leisure now and will have in the future, because he knows how to keep the summer. Small joys are much more important than large ones, his grandfather believes, one should find a taste in them and know their price. So we need to be able to find a taste in reading and remember what the price of a book is. Yes, yes, it is in this – in real leisure.

Each book has its own scent

It is desirable to understand and feel a literary text. Otherwise, what kind of reading is this? Have you thought about what it means to “understand” and what it means to “feel”? Usually we correlate these verbs with different aspects of brain activity – with rational and sensual, that is, with abstract comprehension and concrete images. The word “understand” has an ancient root nya- with a branched chain of historical alternations: i- (take), im- (have), ym- (catch), ym- (raise), nim- (understand), eat- (acceptable) , em- (reception). It is not difficult to guess the evolution of the meaning of the root: before you learn anything about an object, you must first approach it, pick it up and examine it.
This semantics, based on specific sensory images, has also spread to mental activity. Now any word with the meaning “take, have” can be associated with understanding. Compare: to grasp on the fly, to catch the meaning of a statement, to catch a thought, etc. It is interesting that similar processes are observed in a variety of languages, differing both in origin and structure.
This is how we talk about approaching the meaning in the literary language: to approach the solution (to understanding, to the truth), to reach understanding, but this is how in jargon: to hold out, to endure, to catch up, etc. And it’s not enough not only to get closer to the text, you also have to delve into it (penetrate), stick in, cut in, drive in.
It’s paradoxical, but before you “finish” and “stuck”, the text needs to be felt. We have exactly five explicit senses – sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste (we will refer the rest of the sensual side of our life to the area of intuition). Let us consider how they contribute to the perception of a literary text, rightly assuming that the text must be seen, heard, smelled, touched and tasted.
Seeing means that visual images appear in the reader’s head, since the writer, unlike the journalist, does not so much tell a story as shows it. The reader’s imagination acts as a projector – and the characters of the book come to life. Clearly or vaguely, you imagine how they look, how and where they act. The more you read, the more you develop your imagination, and therefore, the more you see.
Hear. An absolute ear is as necessary for a reader as it is for a musician. A performer-musician reads notes and hears music. The reader is the same performer, he only hears the word. It is clear that the perception of music and words depends on the virtuosity of performance. That is why it is important to learn the art of reading.
Smell. Each book has its own scent. Every magazine and every newspaper, too. As a child, I especially felt this when I took mail from the mailbox, when my mother bought me a new book. It has a great effect on perception. Not only the smell of paper and printing ink, of course, but also the olfactory images that arise when reading, as a skillful author seeks to convey the fullness of sensations possible. The next time you read a book, be sure to pay attention to this and “keep your nose going.”
Touch. I don’t know about you, but I’m apparently a kinesthetic person, so I like to read paper editions. It is important for me to hold a book in my hand: it is pleasant to run your hand over the cover of the book, feel it, and then turn page after page. Sometimes I sleep with an unfinished book under my pillow. Why? I don’t want to part with her. The literary text is certainly associated with the book that is in my library, it is “objectified and appropriated”. Assign and assimilate – in terms of meaning, this is very close.
Eat. Of course, you enjoy the literary text, as well as the book. The word gives pleasure comparable to sweetness. However, bitterness is also enough. They say you have to have a taste for literature. They speak correctly. Take your time to read the text, feel its taste and especially the aftertaste.

Allowing us to remain human

Yes, of course, reading fiction is an art that develops our sensual talents and enriches our emotional sphere. Thus, in the first place, I put sensory perception, which precedes and accompanies the understanding of the text. But what is even more important and what brings us closer to the answer to the question “Why is it important to read fiction books?”: Feelings and emotions stimulate our thoughts. And here it should be noted that the culture of reading excludes the hasty “swallowing” of the plot and assumes that the reader’s process is an active creative thinking. I pay special attention to these two definitions – “active” and “creative”. It will be possible to talk about them separately, but for now I propose the following formula: it is important to read books, because without them it is impossible to be a person.
Indeed, let us once again ask ourselves the question: how does a person differ from an animal? The one that has written speech and conscious creative thinking. That’s what’s important! The activity of the reader is not only to “decipher” the author’s texts, but to create their meanings together with the author. We often hear stupid school questions: “What did the author want to say?” And how can we guess what he wanted to say in the work, if he himself did not leave any evidence of this? What if he left? But you never know what he wanted to say, the reader in practice is faced with what actually happened.
The author’s intention, intention does not always coincide with the result, which can both disappoint the reader and delight him. Sometimes the writer does not even realize what a miracle he has performed, and sometimes he does not notice elementary errors. In practice, most often we have only a text that requires interpretation. Interpretation to a large extent depends on our everyday and reading experience and even on our own intonation (by the way, this is why paper books are preferable to audio books – they do not have someone else’s, but your individual intonation, which evokes somewhat different images and meanings.)
“But if reading is active creative thinking and filling the text with meanings, then where is the guarantee that we will not replace the author’s intention with our own ideas about the text?” – you ask. I will answer you – none. We also have the right to make mistakes. But in the end, everything depends on the culture of reading, since we must be clearly aware of the permissible limits of comprehension, after which the artistic truth turns into its opposite. And this is also a special narrow issue that requires separate consideration, but for today we summarize: fiction develops sensory perception and creative thinking, promotes active contemplation and understanding of reality, offers creative leisure and, ultimately, allows a person to be a person. I think this is enough to understand why it is important to read books.
Such things. I wish you all good reading!

Author: Salavat VAKHITOV, writer

Is it necessary to read books from the school list “for the summer”

Fresh issue

WG-Week

Motherland Applications

Union

New number

Society

08/09/2021 20:47

Maria Agranovich

Lists of literature that children are given at school for the summer raise many questions from parents. They are huge: for example, my daughter – a future second-grader – has 25 works. A friend of a 4th grade student has 19, and the son of a friend – a sixth grader – 54! On what basis are they formed? Is it necessary to read everything? And who needs a reader’s diary? We deal with the candidate of pedagogical sciences, head of the laboratory of socio-cultural educational practices of the Moscow City Pedagogical University Ekaterina Asonova.

RIA Novosti

Ekaterina Andreevna, the most interesting thing is that the texts in these lists intersect. For example, Aksakov’s “Scarlet Flower” is given both after the first and after the third grade. Why?

Ekaterina Asonova : Let’s start with the fact that summer lists are illegal. There is no mandatory summer reading. There are exemplary recommendations, and each teacher has his own. Summer reading is primarily about pleasure, about freedom, and a little bit about “don’t forget the letters.” It is important with what words the teacher gives the list of literature: “I will ask”, “I will check the reader’s diary”, “read something of your choice”. By the way, often the initiators of the lists for the summer are the parents themselves. I know this because I worked at the school myself. Their anxiety can be understood: for nine months the child was constantly busy and suddenly – summer, freedom, the schedule was knocked down. It seems that the summer reading list will organize a long summer day. But then it would be nice to have the names of movies, board games, and places to travel on this list. And the books should be in all subjects – from poetry to the determinant of plants.

Some schools offer to read texts from the program of the next academic year during the holidays. For what?

Ekaterina Asonova : This happens when the summer reading list is compiled to unload the study days. But this, unfortunately, is a trap: as experience shows, it does not get easier. Those who find reading difficult do not remember well in January what they read in July. However, there is a nuance: in high school, given our realities and the congestion of the school curriculum, it still makes sense to read some texts in advance. It is important, in principle, to read – what the child likes, so that independence develops, his own approach to choosing books.

What do you recommend?

Ekaterina Asonova : I would like to draw your attention to the fact that despite the abundance of texts, the modern school curriculum revolves only around realistic works, very carefully selected in Soviet times. There is not that literary diversity that our culture undoubtedly possesses. This is fiction literature, fantasy literature, fairy tales. Yes, in elementary school we offer them to children, and then they become kind of unimportant. This is wrong. Fairy tale and fantasy, mythological culture is very rich, this is Harry Potter, and Alice in Wonderland – fantasy, new worlds. There are fairy tales where folklore Baba Yaga or Gorynych find themselves in new, modern circumstances: for example, in books written by Dmitry Yemets, Sergey Sedov, Anton Soya, Andrei Zhvalevsky and Evgenia Pasternak and many other authors. Of course, the school cannot include this in the program, but it would be interesting and useful for children to read them.

For the summer, and just for “home” reading, I would choose the literature that will not be in school

In a word, for the summer, and just for “home” reading, I would choose the literature that will not be in school, including playful and ironic poetry by Artur Givargizov and Andrey Usachev, comics by Andrey and Natalya Snegirev.