Skip to content
Call Us Today! 212-533-4646 | MON-FRI 12PM - 4PM (EST)
DONATE
SUBSCRIBE
Search for:
About Us
Publications
FAQ
Annual Report 2023
Annual Report 2022
Annual Report 2021
Initiatives
Advocate
Educate
Cultivate
Care
News
Newsletters
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
Join UNWLA
Become a Member
Volunteer With Us
Donate to UNWLA
Members Portal
Calendar
Shop to Support Ukraine
Search for:
Print
Print Page
Download
Download Page
Download Right Page
Open
1
2-3
4-5
6-7
8-9
10-11
12-13
14-15
16-17
18-19
20-21
22-23
24-25
26-27
28-29
30-31
32-33
34-35
36-37
38-39
40
“НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ЧЕРВЕНЬ 2019 WWW. UNWLA .ORG 19 PRESERVING OUR STORIES AND OUR LE GACY by Myrosia Stefaniuk The idea came to me one afternoon when a friend looked at a faded photo of her deceased mother and said, “I wish I had gotten to know her better as a woman — not just what happened in her life, but what she felt when it was happen ing. I wish I could go back and ask her what was in her heart and how she dealt with it.” And I thought — what more pre- cious gift can we leave our children and grandchil- dren than stories about the times we lived in, the events and people that shaped us , and subse- quently shaped them. We often talk about the need to record oral histories of folks who have played major roles in our communities. Why not start with ourselves? Little has been written about what it was like to be an immigrant child or a child of Uk rain- ian immigrants growing up in the United States. Even less has been written about the challenges and hurdles, doubts and fears, joys and accom- plishments that we women have faced and coped with in our dual Ukrainian - American communi- ties. What bette r venu e for this than this publica- tion entitled Our Life ? We know the stories are there — the hard part is getting started and writing them down. So to “prime the pump” I’m going to suggest some themes or writing prompts that we hope our readers will respond to. T hese prompts will help walk you through the process of getting your story (or stories) down on paper. They are by no means carved in stone, so feel free to work out of the box. The initial questions is “Where and how to begin?” First find a quiet co rner a way from distrac- tions — a coffee shop, library, park bench or even your car will do nicely. Close your eyes and let im- ages of yourself drift by — as a child, an adolescent, a young women, wife or mother, or as a mature or elderly lady. Choose one that st ands o ut. Then grab a pen and write! Below are two prompts that might entice you to do the deed. PROMPT #1: PICK A MEMORY OF AN EVENT, PLACE OR PERSON IN YOUR LIFE THAT MATTERED . Write a brief account about what you remember about this as if you were tell- ing your story to a friend. D on’t worry about struc- ture, grammar or how it sounds at this point. All of that can be honed, revised and edited later. Just write spontaneously and ho nestly. Tell your story — you know it best. Let the words flow and let your hand f ollow your heart. Trust the process and honor what comes. Trigger your memory by using your senses — describe details about images, sounds, scents, taste and texture to describe the scene, the people, the event and, most importantly, express your feelings ab out each of these. When you have finished, put your story away for a while. Come back to it at another time and add, revise or edit. Or send it to Our Life and let the editors help. PROMPT #2: USING PHOTOGRAPHS 1. Chose a photo of yourself (any age or sta ge of life) and make a copy of it on a blank sheet of pa- per. Briefly Id ent ify : place, date, occasion . W ho is in the photo? age? W ho took the photo? why? W here did you get the p hoto? 2. Start writing by answering the following: What was happening in your l ife at the time of the photo ? What happened just before? just after? What stands out in the photo? What feelings or emotions are visible in photo? W hat is not visible? What el se would you like to know about what (or who) is in this photo? Who can fill in the blanks? What made you choose this particular photo? How does it fit into your life at the time? Where and how does it fit into your life now? Re read what you wrote and add anything else that you deem relevant or pertinent or significant . And Voila! T he re is your story — a slice of your life. It need not be long, clever, dramatic or outstanding. It can be happy, sad, funny or just be. And you can certainly write more than one. Just open your treasure chest of memories, express them, and share with others. Now s ubmit your manuscript via email to: unwlaourlife@gmail.com. Make sure to include a phone number. ________________________________ Editor’s note : Also see Ms. Stefaniuk’s poetic trib- ute to her father on page 16 .
Page load link
Go to Top
1 
2-3 
4-5 
6-7 
8-9 
10-11 
12-13 
14-15 
16-17 
18-19 
20-21 
22-23 
24-25 
26-27 
28-29 
30-31 
32-33 
34-35 
36-37 
38-39 
40 
