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1 8 WWW.UNWLA.ORG “НАШЕ ЖИТТЯ”, ВЕРЕСЕНЬ 2019 Serendipity II One of the perks of being an editor is conne cting with interesting people. This year I have ha d three encounters that underscore and enhance this perk and prompt this flight of fancy. I’ve titled it “Ser- endipity II” because it’s a sequel to the “Serendip- ity” note I included in the February issue of Our Life as a preface to a series of book reviews pub- lished in that issue and because it fits in nicely with impressions of additional encounters described here. Encounter 1 . The summer issue of Our Life fea- tures an article by Kristina Lucenko, a review of What We Live For, What We Die For (a collection of poems by Serhiy Zhadan translated into English by Virlana Tkacz and Wanda Phipps). The issue also includes a companion piece I wrote after at- tending an event featuring Mr. Zhadan and his po- etry: a brief description of the book, a summary of the book pr esentation, and a personal detour into the past prompted by a conversation with Mr. Zhadan about the people I had met in Kharkiv back in 1989. Encounter 2 . The February issue of Our Life in- cluded several book reviews: Ksenia Rychtyka’s re- view of Myrosia Stefaniuk’s Dibrova D ia ry , my re- view of Stephanie Sedoriak’s An Ocean Between , and a review (also mine) of Tamara Lashchyk’s Lose The Gum ( A Survival Guide for Women on Wall Street, Main Street and Every Street in Be- tween). My editorial introduction to the se three books was titled “Serendipity” and included a brief commentary on how distinct and separate things from here and there and elsewhere sometimes com e together to create an interesting whole. Since the time this issue was published, I have recon- necte d with Ms. Stefaniuk whose “Sing Me a Life” (a poetic tribute to her late father) was featured in the June issue of the magazine along with an arti- cle she wrote on writing (and thereby preserving) stories that should be told. I have also reconnected (albei t briefly) with Mrs. Sedoriak whose book prompted several comments and a couple requests for copies, all of which I forwarded to the author. Encounter 3 . More recently, I also reconnected with Tamara Lashchyk who called to let me know she was coming to t he Philadelphia burbs for a meeting and wanted to know if we could get to- gether for brunch or lunch before or after. I happily agreed to this and also happ ily agreed to her fol- low - up suggestion that our brunch or lunch should include Pani Vera (Tamara’s ex - mother - in - law who had introduced us by sending me a copy of Lose the Gum .) The three of us met at a good Ital- ian restaurant, where we talked and ate and l aughed and reminisced about assorted adventures and life journeys. One of the many things we talked a bout was Tamara’s decision to establish a schol- arship fund for St. Basil Academy, where her own mother had once been a student. The small world syndrome re surfaces here: I taught at SBA some decades ago and still maintain friendly relations with the Sister s I worked with. For additional in- formation about Ms. Lashchyk’s newest project, please visit www.stbasilacademy.org/giving/daria - knysz - memoriam - fund/ . - tsc Post Script. Sho rtly after writing about Encoun- ter 3, I had the opportunity to meet with Ms. Lash- chyk for brunch during which the two Tamaras chatted about life lessons learned, the state of the world, old travel adventures and future aspira- tions — some concrete and some am orphous but all important enough to mention and explore. After brunch Tamara came for a quick vi sit to my house where the conversation moved to art and a few other matters, a seamless transition that foreshad- owed future conversations on these and other the mes between two new friends. Friendship is born at that moment when one per- son says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.” – C.S. Lewis Contact information for address changes, delivery, subscriptions. Зміна адреси, достава, пере дплати. office@unwla.org
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