Banduras & Rockstars!

BizCard_thumb_80x80Red boots, sharavary, tattoos, leather pants… hmmmm… doesn’t sound like your typical Ukrainian concert, but that’s exactly what you’ll experience on October 24, 2015 when the Ukrainian Bandurist Chorus joins Ruslana at Massey Hall in Toronto. Continue reading “Banduras & Rockstars!”

Tarnished, but not forgotten…

BizCard_thumb_80x80Some time ago, my friend Lesia asked me if I would be interested in designing a book cover and interior for her. “Sure!” I said, “What kind of book?” She went on to explain that she had been working on a young adult novel loosely based on her Baba’s experiences in Germany during the Second World War. Interesting, I thought… and asked her if I could read it. She sheepishly sent me an unedited version of Tarnished, stating it was really rough and still needed alot of work.

Well… even in a rough, unedited state, it left me speechless. I was more than halfway through Tarnished before I was able to put it down for the first time, tears pouring down my face, thinking of my own grandparents and their WWII experience. Continue reading “Tarnished, but not forgotten…”

Gongandze Memorial Day in Kyiv and its Canadian link

Kyiv September 16 2015BizCard_thumb_80x80If you found yourself in Kyiv on September 16, 2015, you may have been witness to an event commemorating the countless journalists who have died in Ukraine since 1991. The memorial event honoured slain journalist Georgiy Gongadze, who was brutally murdered 15 years ago when he uncovered and publicized corruption in the Ukrainian government. Countless citizens gathered on Khreshchatyk Street in the heart of the Ukrainian capital in tribute to Gongadze and other heroes, unnecessarily sacrificed, in pursuit of a right most of us take for granted: Freedom of Expression.

Attendees lit candles on Maidan Nezalezhnosti and carried signs depicting a kozak’s silhouette with an empty speech bubble above, with the simple, yet powerful text ОЗБРОЙТЕСЯ ПРАВДОЮ – ARM YOURSELVES WITH THE TRUTH – the central theme of the event. Continue reading “Gongandze Memorial Day in Kyiv and its Canadian link”