Tag: kidnapped from Ukraie

Internment & Kidnapped at Bloor West

I did two presentations yesterday at the Bloor West Ukrainian Festival yesterday. The first was with Ryan Boyko for his podcast series on WWI internment in Canada.

I got to listen to James Motluk’s interview as it was scheduled right before mine.

James is a documentary filmmaker, and his documentary, Jajo’s Secret, uncovering his own grandfather’s internment is stunning.

Borys Sydoruk, James Motluk, me, Ryan Boyko

I also got to meet up with my internment buddy, Borys Sydoruk, who has been in the forefront of internment recognition. During my interview, I spoke about my grandfather’s internment, and how that inspired three of my books.

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Geoffrey Bilson winner
prisoners

My second presentation was about my Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy and how these novels can create empathy and understanding about Russia’s war on Ukraine in a way that other media cannot. Thank you, Borys, for taking these photos of this talk!

Marianne Fedunkiw, who also writes on Ukrainian topics, came out to listen. Thanks for the pic, Marianne!

 

Hello there!

In July, I was honoured to Zoom in as a guest speaker at the Wyoming State School Library Interest Group Summer Summit. My novel, Kidnapped from Ukraine: Under Attack is shortlisted for the Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award and so we spoke about the book, plus why I wrote it, but also why I write what I write and my personal struggles with dyslexia. The questions were fantastic, and I loved discussing why young people need gritty books.

One big challenge during this presentation was a tech glitch: they could see me, but I couldn’t see them! I was presenting to a blank screen!

Thank you, Ginny Nading for this photo. Hello! It’s so nice to see you all!

Teaching Genocide in ELA classrooms, with Russia’s current war on Ukraine as the focus.

After writing the Kidnapped from Ukraine trilogy over a frenzied 17 months, I tried to take a break from writing in 2025. I did manage to not write fiction, but ended up writing book contributions and other non-fiction things, including chapter four, “Crafting Historical Fiction: Rehumanizing Global Crises Through Character Development” in Sarah J. Donovan’s upcoming book, Teaching Genocide and Holocaust Education in ELA Classrooms: Language to Remember, Witness, and Repair.

I selected Russia’s current war on Ukraine as my genocide focus, and the rehumanizing of the victim exercise uses a scene from Standoff as a launching point.

London: Still Alive launch and Vyshyvanka Day

It was a wonderful event last night in London Ontario. Many thanks to the volunteers and organizers from London UCC and the London Ukrainian Centre. It was great to see the students and educators from Woodstock’s St. Sophia Ukrainian school as well!

 

Friday afternoon: my last bookweek visit at Sherwood Park

My final school visit for Book Week was on Friday afternoon at École Sherwood Park ES. Students had so many interesting questions and observations about writing, world history, the war in Ukraine, and dyslexia. Often, by Friday afternoon, students are tired, but these young readers were animated and interested. Thanks so much, Patricia Laursen, teacher-librarian!

Tuesday afternoon: Lynne Valley PL and Kidsbooks

After speaking to big groups in the morning, it was a refreshing change to speak with a small group of homeschooled students and their parents. It was more like a conversation than a presentation and each person there had the opportunity to ask questions and comment. Thank you, Rachel Brown, librarian! I loved every minute of it!

I dropped by Kidsbooks on Edgemont to sign stock copies of my books and asked Alex to pose with me by the outdoor sign! I LOVE independent bookstores! What would authors do without the expertise and passion of independent booksellers?

After signing, I headed out to the Sea to Sky highway and drove to Pemberton — a 2+ hour GLORIOUS drive! I would have loved to take photos. The mountains and the sea were breathtaking. I kept my eyes glued to the road!

 

Under Attack shortlisted for 2 readers’ choice awards

I am thrilled that Kidnapped from Ukraine book #1: Under Attack has been shortlisted for both the Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award and the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Northern Lights Award. I love readers’ choice programs the best because young readers themselves select the books instead of adults on a jury.