Latest Blog Posts
- Serhii Rudenko’s Zelensky: A Biography of Ukraine’s Wartime President
In Zelensky, Serhii Rudenko captures the transformation of an unlikely political newcomer into the steadfast leader of Ukraine in its darkest hour. This review reflects on a biography that reveals the pressure, peril, and resolve that defined Zelensky as he faced Russia’s brutal invasion. - A Conversation with Sergei Loiko, Author of Aeroport, on His First‑Hand Experience at the Battle for Donetsk Airport
A 2016 Nash Holos interview with war correspondent Sergei Loiko, reflecting on his four days inside the shattered Donetsk airport and the real events that shaped Aeroport. - A Harvest Truce: Grief, Resilience, and the Absurdity of War — A Knyzhka Corner Book Review
Myra reviews a HURI book, A Harvest Truce, a tragicomedy set in war‑torn Eastern Ukraine, portraying the dignity of ordinary people living under Russian occupation and the fragile “harvest truce” that lets farmers bring in their crops. - First Star I See Tonight: A Knyzhka Corner Book Review
In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we will be discussing Orysia Tracz’s book, First Star I See Tonight: Ukrainian Christmas Traditions. Orysia Tracz explores the origins, rituals, and cultural significance of Ukrainian Christmas traditions in her first book, First Star I See Tonight. This book includes a number of articles about Ukrainian Christmas celebrations in Winnipeg and Manitoba since the first immigration to Canada 125 years ago. It is the first in-depth English language book on Ukrainian Christmas traditions, and will definitely be of interest to Ukrainian families throughout the… Read more: First Star I See Tonight: A Knyzhka Corner Book Review - Listening Back: An Interview with Mirko Petriw — Ukraine on the Brink of War
This interview was recorded at the height of the Maidan uprising, in January of 2014. Just weeks later, Crimea would be annexed — a possibility unimaginable at the time of this conversation. It was a volatile time, marked by rapid and unprecedented changes that would permanently reshape Ukraine’s path forward. Listening now, it offers insights into how people perceived the stakes before history took its unexpected and shocking turn. Drawn from expert knowledge and sharp analysis of historical patterns set against the unfolding events of the time, these perspectives remain… Read more: Listening Back: An Interview with Mirko Petriw — Ukraine on the Brink of War - Two authors chat about their books set in modern-day war-torn Ukraine
In late February 2025, shortly after the three-year mark of russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine, I had the great privilege to speak on air with the authors of two remarkable books that bring home this devastating war in gripping novels that are hard to put down. Chrystyna Lucyk-Berger is an American author now living in Austria who has written Swimming With Spies, a middle-grade novel set in Crimea, based on the true story of the sad fate of therapy dolphins in a dolphinarium in the port city of Sevastopol at… Read more: Two authors chat about their books set in modern-day war-torn Ukraine - “Canadian Kobzar” in conversation with Pawlina discussing Toonie Tuesday, Wild Hornets and more
In this interview which first aired on Nash Holos in March 2025, Canadian Kobzar tells us about NAFO, the Wild Hornets, and the Toonie Tuesday fundraiser. To listen, click on the player. Transcript below. Enjoy! Pawlina: Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine is into its fourth year. Unfortunately, it has morphed into a political football for the media, which pays scant attention to the realities that the Ukrainian people face and have to deal with daily. It’s normal, if sad and bit callous, for compassion fatigue to sit in… Read more: “Canadian Kobzar” in conversation with Pawlina discussing Toonie Tuesday, Wild Hornets and more - Knyzhka Corner book review: The Torture Camp on Paradise Street
In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we will be discussing Stanislav Aseyev’s, The Torture Camp on Paradise Street. The Torture Camp on Paradise Street, translated by Zenia Tompkins and Nina Murray and published by the Ukrainian Research Institute at Harvard University, is a personal memoir of Stanislav Aseyev’s two and a half years in illegal captivity, most of it at the site of the defunct insulation factory, Isoliatsia (Isolation), in the city of Donetsk. This secret prison in the heart of Donetsk was called the “Donetsk Dachau” because of the… Read more: Knyzhka Corner book review: The Torture Camp on Paradise Street - Ukrainian Food Flair – the Cookbook
For those advance planners, here’s a suggestion for holiday gift-giving. Everyone loves a good cookbook, and this one has turned out to be quite popular. In August of last year, I wrapped up a project started almost 20 years ago—a collection of the recipes of Sylvia Molnar, who presented over 200 of them in the series Ukrainian Food Flair. Sylvia passed away in 2015, but last year her sister Leone and I finally were able to publish her recipes, as a tribute to her memory. Ukrainian Food Flair: Authentic Recipes… Read more: Ukrainian Food Flair – the Cookbook - Knyzhka Corner book review: Kidnapped from Ukraine: Under Attack by Marsha Skrypuch
In this edition of Knyzka Corner, we will be discussing Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch’s novel, Kidnapped from Ukraine: Under Attack. In this novel, Skrypuch describes the horrific human impact of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. His first invasion occurred in 2014 when he took Crimea and portions of Eastern Ukraine. She explores how this invasion changed the lives of 12-year-old twin sisters Rada and Dariia Popkova from Mariupol. Skrypuch explains her own reaction to these events in the Author’s Note, “I never thought I… Read more: Knyzhka Corner book review: Kidnapped from Ukraine: Under Attack by Marsha Skrypuch