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From left: Vera Klisch, Halyna Ivchenko, Vika Ivchenko and Natalia Danylenko. Photos courtesy Tamara Stadnychenko. P h ila d e lp h ia d e b u t. T h e e v e n t, s p o n s o re d b y B ra n c h 9 0 o f th e U N W L A , d re w n e a rly 4 0 0 m e m b e rs o f th e U k r a in ian c o m m u n ity fro m P e n n s y lv a n ia , D e la w a re a n d N e w J e rs e y to P h ila d e lp h ia ’s U k ra in ia n E d u c a tio n a l a n d C u l tu ra l C e n te r. A n a u d ie n c e th a t in c lu d e d s e n io r c itiz e n s , c o lle g e s tu d e n ts , b a b y b o o m e rs a n d c h ild re n w h o h a d ju s t fin is h e d th e ir c la s s e s in th e U k ra in ia n s c h o o l lo c a te d o n th e p re m is e s c a m e to s e e a n d h e a r a n d b e c h a rm e d b y th e m u lti-fa c e te d little g irl w h o h a s b e c o m e th e h e ro in e o f a sa d s to ry w ith , h o p e fu lly , a h a p p y e n d in g . T h e p ro g ra m w a s o p e n e d b y B ra n c h p re s id e n t M a ria R a k o w s k a , w h o g re e te d th o s e a s s e m b le d a n d p ro m is e d an u n u s u a l e v e n t. P ro g ra m m o d e ra to r V e r a K lis c h p re s e n te d a b io g ra p h ic a l s k e tc h o f th e y o u n g p o e te s s , w e a v in g in to th e s to ry e x c e rp ts fro m V ik a ’s w o rk th a t d e fin e h e r p e rs o n a lity , h e r in te re s ts , a n d th e m a jo r e v e n ts o f h e r life . D ra w in g o n a n a n e c d o te a b o u t a n a g in g R o b e rt S c h u m a n n ’s d e lig h t a t th e ta le n ts o f a v e ry y o u n g F re d e ric C h o p in , M s. K lis c h th e n p re s e n te d V ik a . O n c e o n s ta g e , V ik a a n n o u n c e d h e r in te n tio n s o f s h a rin g h e r w o rk a n d v ig n e tte s a b o u t h e r life w ith h e r a u d ie n c e . M id -w a y th ro u g h h e r firs t s to ry a b o u t h e r e a rly c h ild h o o d , th e e le c tric ity fa ile d a n d th e m ic ro p h o n e w e n t d e a d . M o m e n ta rily n o n -p lu s e d , V ik a s to p p e d in m id -s e n te n c e a n d lo o k e d to h e r m o th e r, to M rs . K lis c h , to th e a u d ie n c e as if s e e k in g a n e x p la n a tio n , a s o lu tio n . B u t th e s u rp ris e d lo o k o n h e r fa c e v a n is h e d a lm o s t in s ta n tly , to b e re p la c e d b y a lo o k o f s e re n e s e lf- c o n fid e n c e . T h e re w e re n o te a rs , n o p rim a d o n n a ta n tru m s a n d n o n e rv o u s a d o le s c e n t g ig g le s . V ik a s m ile d a n d sa t d o w n , c e rta in o f h e rs e lf a n d c e rta in th a t th is lit tle c ris is w o u ld s o o n w o rk its e lf o u t a n d th a t h e r ro le fo r th e m o m e n t w a s to w a it. W o rd le s s ly , c a lm y , s h e e n d e a re d h e rs e lf to an a u d ie n c e a lre a d y d e te rm in e d to lik e a s ic k little g irl, m a k in g th e m s e e th a t s h e w a s s o m e th in g m u c h m o re . W h a t fo llo w e d a fte r e le c tric a l p o w e r w a s re s to re d d id n o th in g to s h a tte r th e p e rc e p tio n o f s tre n g th a n d d e te rm in a tio n th a t h a d b e e n fo rm e d in th o s e m o m e n ts . A v a rie ty o f a u to b io g ra p h ic a l s to rie s w e re in te rs p e rs e d a n d illu m in a te d b y h e r p o e m s . T h e c h ild w a s re v e a le d in a p o e m a b o u t s e a g u lls th a t s h e m is to o k fo r c ra n e s . H e r p e rs o n a l tr a g e d y c a u s e d b y th e n u c le a r fa llo u t fro m C h o rn o b y l w a s s o fte n e d b y a p o e m a b o u t a d y in g d o l p h in w a s h e d u p on th e s a n d o f s o m e q u ie t b e a c h . T h e y o u n g w o m a n w h o h a s b e c o m e c o g n iz a n t o f th e tu m u l tu o u s h is to ry o f h e r c o u n try w a s re v e a le d in a p o e m in w h ic h s h e d e s c rib e d h e rs e lf as an e x ile in M o s c o w , try ing d e s p e ra te ly to c a tc h a ’’U k ra in ia n V o ic e ” o n th e ra d io . V ik a ’s s to rie s a n d p o e m s als o d e a lt w ith a w id e ra n g e o f e m o tio n a l e n c o u n te rs . T h e r e w a s a s to ry a b o u t a te a c h e r w h o h e lp e d V ik a d e a l w ith c la s s m a te s je a lo u s o f h e r s u c c e s s as a w rite r. In a n o th e r s to ry th e a u d ie n c e s a w a fe is ty y o u n g la d y u n w illin g to h a v e an e d ito r ta m p e r w ith h e r w e ll-c h o s e n w o rd s . "I to ld h im ,” s h e s a id , ” if y o u re p la c e m y ro u n d w o rd s w ith y o u r s q u a re o n e s , s ig n y o u r o w n n a m e a t th e e n d .” A c e rta in v u ln e r a b ility w a s re v e a le d in h e r c o m m e n ta ry a b o u t p e o p le d o u b tin g th a t h e r w o rk is h e r o w n . P a in a n d c o m p a s sio n w e re e v id e n t in a p o e m w ritte n in S t. P a u l, a p o e m to u c h in g o n C h o rn o b y l c h ild re n w h o d id n o t re c o v e r. A n d a re c u rrin g th e m e th ro u g h o u t th e p ro g ra m w a s lo ve o f fa m ily . T h e s to ry -te llin g a n d p o e try re c ita l w e re c o m p le m e n te d b y a b rie f m u s ic a l in te rlu d e . V ik a , a c c o m p a n ie d b y p ia n is t L e s ia R u d y j, s a n g tw o so n g s. T h e firs t s o n g w as a fa v o rite o f h e r g r a n d m o th e r ’s w h o m s h e s e e m s to m iss v e ry m u c h . T h e s e c o n d s o n g w a s o n e s h e w ro te fo r h e r s is te r. F e a rin g th a t h e r s is te r’s m a rria g e w ill s e p a ra te th e m , sh e a d v is e s , “ D o n ’t g e t m a rrie d a n d le a v e u s ...th e y b rin g y o u flo w e rs a n d th e n m a k e y o u w a s h d is h e s ,” a n d th e n c o m fo rts h e rs e lf b y re fle c tin g , ’’b u t y o u d o n ’t lik e w a s h in g d is h e s so y o u ’ll c o m e b a c k to us." A b rie f s o lo m e d le y o f U k ra in ia n fo lk s o n g s b y M s. R u d y j c o n c lu d e d th e m u s ic a l p o rtio n o f th e p ro g ra m . W h ile m o s t o f th e p ro g ra m w a s d e v o te d to V ik a ’s p o e try a n d s to rie s fro m h e r p a st, sh e c o m m e n te d b rie fly on h e r e d u c a tio n in A m e ric a , h e r in d e b te d n e s s to n u m e ro u s U k ra in ia n -A m e ric a n s , in c lu d in g a n o n y m o u s p e n s io n e rs w h o h a v e s e n t h e r sm all b u t m e a n in g fu l m o n e ta ry g ifts , a n d a b o u t h e r a m b itio n to b e c o m e a jo u rn a lis t lik e h e r m o th e r. O ff ic ia lly c lo s in g th e p ro g ra m , M a ria R a k o w s k a th a n k e d V e ra K lisc h fo r h e r ro le as m o d e ra to r a n d p re s e n te d V ik a w ith a g ift fro m B ra n c h 9 0 m e m b e rs , a g o ld p e n d a n t re p lic a o f P h ila d e lp h ia ’s L ib e rty B ell w h ic h V ik a w is h e d to p u t o n im m e d ia te ly . T h e p o e te s s th a n k e d th e m e m b e rs o f th e a u d ie n c e fo r th e ir a tte n tio n a n d o ffe re d to a u to g ra p h c o p ie s o f h e r p o e try b o o k s . E v e ry o n e w a s in v ite d to p a rta k e in a lig h t b u ffe t p re p a re d b y th e p ro g ra m s p o n s o rs . W h ile v is itin g th e e a s t c o a s t, V ik a a n d h e r m o th e r a re e n jo y in g th e h o s p ita lity o f Ivan an d N a ta lia D a n y le n k o o f N e w J e rs e y . 20 ’’НАШЕ Ж ИТТЯ”, ТРАВЕНЬ 1994 Видання C оюзу Українок A мерики - перевидано в електронному форматі в 2012 році . A рхів C У A - Ню Йорк , Н . Й . C Ш A.
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