I live in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The province my ancestors chose to find that "better life". I have property within the rural farming community where my Ukrainian grandparents originally...ver másI live in the province of Manitoba, Canada. The province my ancestors chose to find that "better life". I have property within the rural farming community where my Ukrainian grandparents originally laid claim to a surveyor's land spike. Living in the country, I've experienced first hand, the length of time it takes to chop just one wind fallen tree and therefore have a true appreciation as to how hard my pioneer ancestors worked to clear land for a cultivated field.
Wishing to pass on to my children, more than a fragment of my rich Ukrainian culture, I started to construct a traditional Ukrainian instrument called a Bandura. Little did I know at the time, that my interest in my roots would lead me in the direction of creating a spoken word story, encapsulating the life of my Baba or Grandmother, accompanied by the strings of this instrument. Those who heard the story invariably encouraged me to document this narrative so as to reach a far wider audience. Converting this spoken word story into a manuscript was the furthest from my mind, until I personally experienced a life-changing event.
In the year 2000, I finally had the opportunity to realize my life long dream and journey to the land that my ancestors had left behind one hundred years ago. The impoverishment, that motivated my ancestors to seek a life elsewhere; was evident in both urban and rural areas that I had visited. In my travels, I was moved by the site of children begging, for none other than bread! Returning home, these images of
poverty and hunger remained fixed in my memory, which ultimately led to the writing of Strings of Life, Fate & Hope
All net profits will be directed to the one hundred thousand orphans of Ukraine!ver menos