Marianna Kiyanovska is a prominent Ukrainian writer whose powerful words resonate in both Ukrainian and English. We are deeply grateful to her for visiting DC and sharing her poetry with our guests. Her reading was extraordinary, touching everyone’s hearts, as her poems are shaped by both past and current events.

 

Through her work, Marianna raises profound questions about memory, responsibility, and the commemoration of those who bore witness to unspeakable horrors. During the event, Marianna also shared her impressions of the U.S. and personal stories that shaped her journey as a writer. She presented and signed her poetry collection The Voices of Babyn Yar.

 

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Ms. Irena Chalupa—a journalist, translator, and community activist who leads the Washington, D.C. branch of the Ukrainian National Women’s League of America—for her excellent moderation of the presentation.