Kobzar's Children now launched!

Well, the Vancouver/Richmond debut launch of Kobzar's Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories is now history.

We had a nice turnout, even though the local mainstream media diligently ignored the flurry of press releases I dutifully sent round. No great surprise. That just confirms my opinion that, with just a few exceptions, the Vancouver media hates Ukrainians. At least, according to my experience... which actually includes a hate message once left on my voice mail by a Vancouver Sun reporter with the usual "Ukrainians are all nazis" hate meme. I never did get an apology. (I saved that message for posterity because it was so unbelievable.)

Anyway, back to the happy, good stuff... Marsha was very pleased with the turnout and book sales. Meanwhile, the book-lovers in attendance were all (understandably) dazzled by Marsha and what she had to say!

Vancouver YA author KC Dyer came out on Friday evening ... and over a late dinner she mentioned how she enjoyed that the hostess spoke in Ukrainian as well as in English, and that she particularly loved how Marsha's name sounds in Ukrainian!

Well, go figure. And here so many of us Ukes long ago developed the habit of cringing and apologizing to non-Ukes we bring to events where the speeches are in both languages! (Maybe it's time to stop apologizing...)

It was so wonderful to see so many people with that gorgeous book in their hands, but was it ever weird having long-time friends ask for my autograph! (I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that anyone would want it, but I guess that's something all first-time authors have to adjust to.) I hope they all enjoy my story, "Christmas Missed," and all the others, which are incredible.

I'm still making my way through the book ... although it arrived on Wednesday (or was it Thursday) I've been too busy to read it! I've just finished recording Sunday's program so now I'm going to crawl into bed with a copy of that precious book. (Hope I can get away with "I have a headache tonight" while reading till the wee hours...)

Many thanks to the UCWL-Vancouver branch and the Ukrainian Community Society of Ivan Franko for hosting the events, and to the Ukrainian Studies Foundation of BC, the Canada Council and the Writers' Union of Canada for their financial support in making the debut launch happen in Vancouver.

Kobzar's Children: A Century of Untold Ukrainian Stories will be on sale in book stores beginning June 3o. In the meantime, if you are impatient for a copy, I have a limited number of copies signed by Marsha and the three BC contributors. If you would like to purchase one, just let me know. You know where to find me.