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“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, СІЧЕНЬ 2014 WWW. UNWLA.ORG 17 OUR LIFE HAS TURNED 70 by Olesia Wallo We begin the year 2014 with a milestone anniversary — seventy years of uninterrupted pu b- lication of Our Life . The fact that our magazine has survived all the historical, political, and ec o- nomic ups and downs for seven consecutive de c- ades says much about its importance to its rea d- ership and to the UNWLA as an organization. Sin ce its first issue, published in January 1944, the goal of Our Life has been “ to uphold all phases of life among Ukrainian American women, not only organizat ional work, but also their home li fe and public activities ” (p. 4). To this end, the ma g- azine has s trived to reflect and influence various aspects of women’s lives both in the Ukrainian - American diaspora and in Ukraine, while also covering all facets of the UNWLA work. While the editors of Our Life changed, the magazine’s mi s- sion has remained the same. It may very well be that one of the secrets of Our Life ’s continued successful existence is this all - encompassing mission, which translates into an eclectic variety of articles and materials prin t- ed. Memoirs, personal histories, updates on the status of wo men in Ukraine and elsewhere, fi c- tion, news from Ukraine, book, film, and theatr i- cal performance reviews, featured art and artists, interviews with contemporary women, organiz a- tional materials and reports, medical, education, and gardening advice, pages fo r children, cooking tips and recipes, poems, jokes, and crossword puzzles — all of this and more has been “our life,” covered by Our Life . In addition, much of this coverage has been done in two languages! It is worth noting that the UNWLA and Our Life had o perated in both Ukrainian and En g lish long before bilingualism and multicultu r- alism became trendy in the United States. What has only recently been recognized in this society as a mark of an educated, global citizen has been lived out by numerous members o f the Ukrainian diaspora in North America and by many readers of Our Life for more than half a century. While publishing materials in both languages to meet the needs of both Ukrainian - speaking and En g- lish - speaking readership, the magazine continues to pro mote the knowledge of both languages among its readers. It does so, for example, through its children’s pages, which can be used by Ukrainian parents to help their U.S. - born chi l- dren learn to read Ukrainian. For me as the editor of Our Life ’s English pages , a frequent translator of the magazine’s m a- terials from and into Ukrainian, and simply a pe r- son who loves languages, the bilingual format of Our Life is a rare feature to be appreciated and treasured. How many other bilingual magazines (aside from academi c journals) do we know? I therefore feel privileged to continue the work of my predecessors who had edited English - language pages of Our Life since the mid - 1940s: Mildred Milanowych, Helen Shipka, Eleanor Kulchycki , Helen Mural, Marta Baczynsky, Halyna Kuz yszyn, and Tamara Stadnychenko. Our Life would have likely not survived until its 70th anniversary were it not for these dedicated women and others like them. As we look into the future, our thoughts should not be exclusively focused on the ways to assure the financial survival of Our Life in the world of rising costs and proliferating electronic media. If our magazine is to continue to offer a truthful, even if fragmentary, portrayal of our lives and the work of the UNWLA, it is equally important to consid er its content. While we are immensely grateful to our current regular co n- tributors, we would like to invite more UNWLA members to submit articles in either language on the activities of their branches and the life of their Ukrainian communities. If you no tice an i m- portant gap not covered by the current editors and writers, please consider filling it in yourself! Our Life has no full - time staff members, and thus, its success has always depended on volunteer writers and a stream of contributions from the UNW LA members like you. May the New Year bring all of us much enthusiasm and inspiration for our common work on the UNWLA’s longest ongoing project, which is the publishing of Our Life !
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